LESSON 1.1.2 Notches As Tally Marks

EARLY NUMBER SYSTEMS AND SYMBOLS

UNIT 1
L e s s o n 1 . 1 : Pr i m i t i v e C o u n t i n g
LESSON 1.1.2: Notches as Tally Marks
LESSON 1.1.2: Notches as Tally marks

• A notch is a small cut or nick in something.

People make notches to keep track of things.
If you've even seen a little U-shaped or V-
shaped cut in something, you've seen a notch.
Shinbone from a young wolf

 Found in Czechoslovakia in 1937
 about 7 inches long
 engraved with 55 deeply cut notches
 more or less equal in length
 arranged in groups of five
Bones from French caves

 discovered in the late 1880’s
 grouped in sequences of recurring
numbers that agree with the numbers of
days included in successive phases of the
moon
 one might argue that these incised bones
represent lunar calendars
Bones from French caves

 discovered in the late 1880’s
 grouped in sequences of recurring
numbers that agree with the numbers of
days included in successive phases of the
moon
 one might argue that these incised bones
represent lunar calendars
Incised bone at Ishango

 unearthed at Ishango along the shores of Lake Edward
one of the headwater sources of the Nile
 this fossil fragment was probably the handle of a tool
used for engraving, or tattooing, or even writing in
some way.
 contains groups of notches arranged in three definite
columns; the odd, unbalanced composition does not

 unearthed at Ishango along the shores of Lake Edward
one of the headwater sources of the Nile
 In one of the columns, the groups are composed of 11,
21, 19, and 9 notches. The underlying pattern may be
10 + 1, 20 + 1, 20 - 1, and 10 - 1.

 the notches in another column occur in eight groups,
in the following order: 3, 6, 4, 8, 10, 5, 5, 7. This
arrangement seems to suggest an appreciation of the
concept of duplication, or multiplying by 2.

 the last column has four groups consisting of 11, 13,
17, and 19 individual notches. The pattern here may
be fortuitous and does not necessarily indicate—as
some authorities are wont to infer—a familiarity with
prime numbers. Because 11 + 13 + 17 +19 = 60 and
11 + 21 + 19 + 9 = 60, it might be argued that
markings on the prehistoric.
Small clay objects

 hardened by fire to make more durable
 occur in a variety of geometric shapes, the most
common being circular disks, triangles, and cones
Small clay objects

 The oldest clay object (8000 B.C.) are incised with
sets of parallel lines on a plain surface; occasionally,
there will be a cluster of circular impressions as if
punched into the clay by the blunt end of a bone or
stylus. Because they go back to the time when people
first adopted a settled agricultural life, it is believed
that the objects are primitive reckoning devices;
hence, they have become known as “counters” or
Small clay objects

 Shapes on clay also represent different commodities.
 For instance, a token of a particular type might be
used to indicate the number of animals in a herd,
while one of another kind could count measures of
grain.
British Exchequer Tallies

 The acceptance of tally sticks as promissory notes or
bills of exchange reached its highest level of
development in the British Exchequer tallies, which
formed an essential part of the government records
from the 12th century onward.
 the tallies were at pieces of hazel wood about 6–9
inches long and up to an inch thick. Notches of

 The width of the cut decided its value. For example,
the notch of £1000 was as large as the width of a
hand; for £100, as large as the thickness of a thumb;
and for £20, the width of the little finger.
 When a loan was made the appropriate notches were
cut and the stick split into two pieces so that the
notches appeared in each section.

 The width of the cut decided its value. For example,
the notch of £1000 was as large as the width of a
hand; for £100, as large as the thickness of a thumb;
and for £20, the width of the little finger.
 When a loan was made the appropriate notches were
cut and the stick split into two pieces so that the
notches appeared in each section.

 Presumably, when the two halves had been matched,
the Exchequer destroyed its section—either by
burning it or by making it smooth again by cutting off
the notches—but retained the debtor’s section for
future record.
 1826 – effectivity of an act of the Parliament to
abolish the practice of tallying

 1834 - the long-accumulated tallies were burned in
the furnaces that heated the House of Lords, the fire
got out of hand, starting a more general conflagration
that destroyed the old Houses of Parliament
England Tallies
 Formerly, if someone lent money to the Bank of
England, the amount was cut on a tally stick, which
was then split.
 The piece retained by the bank was known as the foil,
whereas the other half, known as the stock, was given
the lender as a receipt for the sum of money paid in.
England Tallies
• Thus, he became a “stockholder” and owned “bank
stock” having the same worth as paper money issued by
the government. When the holder would return, the stock
was carefully checked and compared against the foil in
the bank’s possession; if they agreed, the owner’s piece
would be redeemed in currency.
• A written certificate that was presented for remittance
Switzerland Milk Sticks

• “milk sticks” provided evidence of transactions among
farmers who owned cows in a common herd
• each day the chief herdsman would carve a six- or
seven-sided rod of ash wood, coloring it with red chalk
so that incised lines would stand out vividly

• Below the personal symbol of each farmer, the herdsman
marked off the amounts of milk, butter, and cheese
yielded by a farmer’s cows.
• Every Sunday after church, all parties would meet and
settle the accounts. Tally sticks—in particular, double
tallies—were recognized as legally valid documents
until well into the 1800s.

• Below the personal symbol of each farmer, the herdsman
marked off the amounts of milk, butter, and cheese
yielded by a farmer’s cows.
• Every Sunday after church, all parties would meet and
settle the accounts. Tally sticks—in particular, double
tallies—were recognized as legally valid documents
until well into the 1800s.

• France’s first modern code of law, the Code Civil,
promulgated by Napoleon in 1804, contained the
provision:
The tally sticks which match their stocks have the force
of contracts between persons who are accustomed to
declare in this manner the deliveries they have made or
received.
The variety in practical methods of tallying is so great

that giving any detailed account would be impossible
here. But the procedure of counting both days and objects
by means of knots tied in cords has such a long tradition
that it is worth mentioning. The device was frequently
used in ancient Greece, and we find reference to it in the
work of Herodotus ( fifth century B.C.). Commenting in
his History, he informs us that the Persian king Darius
handed the Ionians a knotted cord to serve as a calendar:
The King took a leather thong and tying sixty knots in it

called together the Ionian tyrants and spoke thus to them:
“Untie every day one of the knots; if I do not return
before the last day to which the knots will hold out,
then leave your station and return to your several
homes.”
Trivia…
In 1940, what number one followed by 100 zeros

was used by Milton Sirotta for the first time?

LESSON 1.1.2 Notches As Tally Marks

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LESSON 1.1.2 Notches As Tally Marks

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

LESSON 1.1.2 Notches As Tally Marks

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EARLY NUMBER SYSTEMS AND SYMBOLS

• A notch is a small cut or nick in something.

Shinbone from a young wolf

Bones from French caves

Bones from French caves

Incised bone at Ishango

Incised bone at Ishango

Incised bone at Ishango

Incised bone at Ishango

Small clay objects

Small clay objects

Small clay objects

British Exchequer Tallies

British Exchequer Tallies

British Exchequer Tallies

British Exchequer Tallies

British Exchequer Tallies

Switzerland Milk Sticks

Switzerland Milk Sticks

Switzerland Milk Sticks

Switzerland Milk Sticks

The variety in practical methods of tallying is so great

The King took a leather thong and tying sixty knots in it

In 1940, what number one followed by 100 zeros

You might also like