By Jasmin Sykes, CNN
Photo: CNN/SUPPLIED
Images of plants painted on pottery made up to 8,000 years ago may be the earliest example of humans' mathematical thought, a study has found.
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem examined pottery produced by the Halafian people of northern Mesopotamia, who lived between 6200 BC and 5500 BC.
Many bowls featured flowers that have been depicted with four, eight, 16, 32 or 64 petals. The use of these numbers forms a "geometric sequence" that implies a form of mathematical reasoning rooted in symmetry and repetition, the researchers said in the study published last month in the Journal of World Prehistory.
Study authors Yosef Garfinkel, a professor in archaeology at the Hebrew University
Continue Reading on RNZ
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.