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During the excavation of the ruins of Fujiwara Palace in Nara Prefecture in Japan, a wooden tablet containing part of the country's oldest multiplication table was found. This unique artifact dates back to about 1300 years ago and is evidence of the high level of development of mathematical knowledge in ancient Japan.
Fujiwara Palace, which was the capital of Japan in the 7th century, has surprised scientists more than once with its archaeological treasures. It was here, in the place where the guards' office was once located, that a small but extremely valuable wooden plate was found. Despite its respectable age, fragments of the multiplication table written in hieroglyphs have been preserved on it, reported the allthatsinteresting.com.
Researchers note that the structure of the multiplication table found in Japan is very similar to tables used in China and Korea during the Qin and Han dynasties. This testifies to active cultural exchanges between these countries in ancient times.
Scientists assume that the multiplication table could be used for various calculations related to state management, in particular, to calculate taxes and salaries of officials. There is also a hypothesis that this knowledge could be used in the construction of religious buildings.
This discovery is of great importance for understanding the history of mathematics and the development of civilization in Japan. It shows that the Japanese had deep knowledge in the field of arithmetic long before it became known.
