The historical development of arithmetic may have its origins in ancient Mesopotamia around 3000 b.c.; however, the civilizations of Egypt, India, and China have also been credited with its discovery.

The oldest known artifact of mathematical significance is a bone tool handle, bearing notches arranged in numerical patterns, with a piece of quartz at the head of the handle. Known as the Ishango bone, it was discovered in 1962 on the shore of Lake Edward in the Congo (now Zaire) and dates back to the period between 9000 and 6500 b.c. It is believed to be an early counting device, however, its exact purpose is unknown.

The discovery of Sumerian tablets show that Mesopotamian merchants in 3000 b.c. were already familiar with the use of bills, receipts, notes, accounts and other systems of measure. An extensive collection of mathematical artifacts unearthed in the region of Babylon show that arithmetic processes...