THE ARITHMETICKE PROJECT: A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH STUDY OF THE DIFFUSION OF HINDU-ARABIC NUMERALS

The Arithmeticke Project comprised a series of micro-studies by Family and Community Historical Research Society members in England and Ireland designed to test the findings of Peter Wardley in respect of the diffusion of the use of Hindu-Arabic in place of Roman numerals, a spontaneous change on th...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Family & community history 2003-05, Vol.6 (1), p.5-17
Main Authors: WARDLEY, PETER, WHITE, PAULINE
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community
Family
Family studies
Historiography
History
Numbers
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The Arithmeticke Project comprised a series of micro-studies by Family and Community Historical Research Society members in England and Ireland designed to test the findings of Peter Wardley in respect of the diffusion of the use of Hindu-Arabic in place of Roman numerals, a spontaneous change on the part of individual scribes that occurred without official direction. Inventories for the period I540-I700 were the major primary source and attention was focussed on the monetary values recorded in the valuation column of these documents. Reflecting other work on this issue, the findings showed a significant transition in the numerals used in the valuation columns from the late I6th century to the mid-I7th, but with notable exceptions. The investigation was extended subsequently by examination of other documents, including wills, churchwardens' accounts and estate papers. As the first such project undertaken by the Society, it has provided a blueprint for future ventures.
ISSN:1463-1180
1751-3812
DOI:10.1179/fch.2003.6.1.002