The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics

Joseph, George Gheverghese

ISBN 10: 0691006598 / ISBN 13: 9780691006598

Published by Princeton University Press, 2000

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691006598
• ISBN 13: 9780691006598
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

From the Ishango Bone of central Africa and the Inca quipu of South America to the dawn of modern mathematics, The Crest of the Peacock makes it clear that human beings everywhere have been capable of advanced and innovative mathematical thinking. George Gheverghese Joseph takes us on a breathtaking multicultural tour of the roots and shoots of non-European mathematics. He shows us the deep influence the Egyptians and Babylonians had on the Greeks; the Arabs' major creative contributions; and the astounding range of successes of the great civilizations of India and China. This challenging and erudite book questions familiar assumptions and enlarges our sense of what we mean by mathematics.

About the Author

George Gheverghese Joseph was born in Kerala, southern India, and lived in India for nine years. His family then moved to Mombassa in Kenya, where he received his schooling. He studied at the University of Leicester, and later at the University of Manchester, where he completed his postgraduate studies. He has worked in various occupations that have taken him to places all over the world, including East and Central Africa, India, Papua New Guinea, and South East Asia.