The History of Counting

Drawing on years of research, a renowned archaeologist traces the evolution of counting. She shows how the concept of numbers came about, how various societies answered the question "How many?," and how our modern-day decimal system was developed. Engrossing and enlightening, this fascinating book introduces children to one of our most important inventions. 00-01 Utah Book Award (Informational Books)

Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2000, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council

Genre: Children's Non-fiction / Science

Author: Denise Schmandt-Besserat, Michael Hays (Illustrations)

Hardcover

Published August 25th 1999 by Collins

My Review:

Great visual for young students to learn about the history of counting. This may even be new to most adults. Who ever questions where the numbers come from that we use every day or the importance of the placeholder 0, a digit that changed and advanced computation of numbers forever and propelled us to today!

This book illustrates the earliest known counting methods / systems. From counting without numbers, to concrete counting to abstract counting. Presenting the earliest counting devices from notches in bones of hunters and gatherers, Sumerian tokens, Numerals, Phoenician number base of 10, Greek numeral system, Roman numerals and the comparison of computing numbers to today's methods.

Really interesting and captures the attention of even the most uninterested students ;)