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From: Einstein
Date: 05 May 1999
Time: 23:54:26
Remote Name: 166.62.71.210
The Arabic numbers “so-called Syrian/Syriac numerals” spread in that part of the world and Europe by the Arabic center of sciences established in Baghdad. Under Haroun al-Rashid (c. 763-809), Caliph of Baghdad, scholars were gathered from every civilized country of the near east and the eastern Mediterranean, and as a result mathematical and technical works were exchanged. Since the Arabs or “so-called Syrian/Syriac people” were pioneers in Astronomy and Cartography (mapping of terrain), many Geographical works by Ptolemy were revised to take into account of more recent “at that time” findings of the Arabs and to include settlements which did not exist in Ptolemy’s time. These maps included the “so-called Syrian/Syriac numeral” and became popular henceforth. Al-Idrisi, who worked in the period up to 1154 for the Norman king Roger II of Sicily, and other Arab cartographers produced world and regional maps. So the work of the Arabs in Astronomy and Mapping influenced those European scientists and spread the Arab scientific culture and of course their numerals. Moreover with the establishment of a seat of learning at Cordova, European scholars, such as Abbot Gerbert (later Pope Silvester II) in the tenth century, went there to meet Arab scholars and find out what scientific works had been preserved from the Greek world. Gerrad of Cremona, working in Toledo in the 12th century translated Arabic versions of Euclid, Archimedes and others. The spread of Arab scientific discoveries peaked during “Al Fatah Al Islami”, where the Arab numerals or “so-called Syrian/Syriac numerals” became the norm amongst people in Europe.
As the Arab dynasty began to collapse and the Hindu traders became more active with the Arabs, especially via Baghdad, the Hindu numerals began to take over our numerals.
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