How the Ancient Maya Invented Zero and Decoded the Cosmos
Episode Overview: Long before Europe adopted the concept of zero, the ancient Maya had already created one of the most sophisticated mathematical systems in the world. In this episode of Math Science History, host Gabrielle Birkjak uncovers the secrets of Mayan mathematics, from the elegance of their base-20 number system, to their revolutionary use of zero, to the celestial precision encoded in the Dresden Codex. We explore how the Maya embedded math into everything from pyramids to calendars, and how European scholars like Ernst Förstemann helped rediscover their brilliance centuries later. This isn’t just a story about numbers, it’s a story about worldview, time, astronomy, and one of the most advanced mathematical traditions of the ancient world. Three Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:How the ancient Maya independently invented and used zero in a positional number system. Why their base-20 (vigesimal) system was uniquely suited for astronomy and calendar cycles. How the Dresden Codex survived colonialism and war to become a key to understanding Mayan math and astronomy. Resources and Further Reading: SLUB Dresden Digital Archive: View the Dresden Codex: https://digital.slub-dresden.de/werkansicht/dlf/29691/1 Förstemann, Ernst. Commentary on the Maya Manuscript in the Royal Public Library of Dresden (1901): https://archive.org/details/commentarymaya00fruoft Coe, Michael D., and Stephen Houston. The Maya, 9th ed. Thames & Hudson, 2015. Ifrah, Georges. The Universal History of Numbers. Wiley, 2000. British Museum, Maya Mathematics Learning Resource: https://www.britishmuseum.org/learn/schools/ages-7-11/maths/maya-mathematics Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h Let’s Connect! Website: mathsciencehistory.com Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Enjoying the Podcast? If you love Math, Science, History, here’s how you can help: Leave a review – It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! https://shorturl.at/bHIsc Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store 🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers 🎵 Audio mixed by David Aviles Until next time, carpe diem!
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