Ishango Bone

Picture of Mystery Real X-File ID: 5942

Report Date: 09/16/2021

Country: Central African Republic

Place: Ishango

Fingerprints: Traces of ancient advanced engineering-skills, Biological artefact in contradiction to mainstream science evolution theory, very high mathematical knowledge for dating period

Existing Facts Sources: Scientific whitepaper, Magazine

Summary Report: 

The Ishango bone was found in 1950 by Belgian Jean de Heinzelin de Braucourt while exploring what was then the Belgian Congo. It was discovered in the area of Ishango near the Semliki River. The artifact was first estimated to have originated between 9,000 BC and 6,500 BC. However, the dating of the site where it was discovered was re-evaluated, and it is now believed to be more than 20,000 years old (between 18,000 BC and 20,000 BC).
The Ishango bone is on permanent exhibition at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium.

The etchings on the bone are in three columns with marks asymmetrically grouped into sets, leading to “various tantalizing hypotheses” such as that the implement indicates an understanding of decimals or prime numbers. Though these propositions have been questioned, it is considered likely by some scholars that the tool was used for simple mathematical procedures or to construct a numeral system.

Also, during earlier excavations at the Ishango site in 1959, another bone was also found. It is lighter in color and was scraped, thinned, polished, and broken on one end, revealing it to be hollow. The artifact possibly held a piece of quartz like the more well-known bone or it could have been a tool handle. The 14-cm long bone has 90 notches on six sides, which are categorized as “major” or “minor” according to their length. Jean de Heinzelin interpreted the major notches as being units or multiples and the minor notches as fractions or subsidiary. He believed the bone to be an “interchange rule between bases 10 and 12. Interestingly enough, the summerian and the babylonian numerical systems also used a Sexagesimal system like the numerical system on the Ishango-bones.

How could ancient people more than 20000 years ago have developed such an advanced mathematical and numerical sytem and even know about prime-numbers?




Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishango_bone
https://www.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/mathematical-treasure-ishango-bone


Facts Source Details:
Details of Scientific Whitepaper:  Does the Ishango bone indicate knowledge of the base 12? An interpretation of a prehistoric discovery, the first mathematical tool of humankind., Contradictions and narrowness of views in “The fables of Ishango, or the irresistible temptation of mathematical fiction”, answers and updates., Ishango, Jean de Heinzelin, 04/04/2012, 10/11/2016, 06/06/1962
Details of Magazine:  Sagenhafte Zeiten Issue No. 6/2003,Luc Bürgin,A.A.S. GmbH, Forschungsgesellschaft für Archäologie, Astronautik und SETI,11/01/2003
Other Facts Details: 

Vladimir Pletser: Does the Ishango bone indicate knowledge of the base 12? – PDF-File official link: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1204/1204.1019.pdf
Vladimir Pletser and Dirk Huylebrouck: Answers and updates. – PDF-File official link: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1607/1607.00860.pdf
Jean de Heinzelin: Ishango – PDF-File official link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24936573?refreqid=excelsior%3Aeb4ea582039e9ccb4e00d937ae228c48




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