Mathematics has been around since the development of written language and probably before that. The field of working with numbers and formulas first came from practical uses such as counting crops, measuring land, astronomical data for sailing, and trading in the market square. The field of math, in its many forms, has developed in all parts of the world from the Mayans to the Mexican region to Africa and Europe and China. As more texts are found and translated, it will be very exciting to see what we will find. Important developments in math includes counting, writing of numbers, calculating amounts, working with fractions, creating a number system, using variables, using graphs and applying these ideas to the real world.
This article from the "Washington Post" covers the development of the concept of infinity, from the fifth to the second century B.C., and includes the main findings of Archimedes and the Pythagorean school. [Requires free registration.] www.washingtonpost.com/../../../books/chap1/mysteryaleph.htm
An extensive and searchable archive covering famous people and concepts, as well as describing the development of mathematics in various cultures. www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history
An overview of the subject and a famous 1900 speech describing the main mathematical problems. Includes a chronological list of mathematicians and their work. aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/mathhist
Describes what mathematicians have worked on, from ancient times to the present. Includes problems suitable for middle school and high school math students, with links to solutions. mathforum.org/isaac/mathhist.html
Presenting an overview from ancient times to the present day, including descriptions of the discovery of pi and the origins of trigonometry. members.aol.com/bbyars1/contents.html
Describes the earliest known uses of common words and symbols, as well as explaining some of the ambiguous terms that might be encountered at high school level. members.aol.com/jeff570
Explains, in everyday language, the developments in astronomy, math, and physics that contributed to the discovery of differential calculus and its relationship to area formulas. math.vanderbilt.edu/~schectex/courses/whystudy.html
Includes a description of each written document, as well as some sample problems from the Rhind, Moscow and other papyri. These ancient written works were created between 1900 and 1800 BC. www.math.buffalo.edu/../../mad_ancient_egyptpapyrus.html
Explains contributions of Arabian mathematicians by translating early Greek texts, developing early algebraic ideas, number theory and astronomical calculations. Includes information about key people during this time period. www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/../../Arabic_mathematics.html
Discusses first known appearances of common expressions, such as operations, variables and trigonometric functions. members.aol.com/jeff570/mathsym.html
Timeline for Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Indian, Arabic, and European mathematical achievements. Includes summary of influences by important people in the field. www.math.sfu.ca/histmath/math380notes/math380.html
Explains the early development of mathematical concepts in astronomical calculations, number systems, calendars and climate studies. www.saxakali.com/COLOR_ASP/historymaf.htm
Discusses the development of numbers, addition tables, exercise problems and solutions for quadratic equations in one of the oldest known civilizations. Covers the period from 8000 B.C. to 364 A.D. it.stlawu.edu/~dmelvill/mesomath
La Hababra high school page includes dates related to important developments in the field of mathematics, which occurred from approximately 30,000 B.C. to 500 A.D. Features an accompanying timeline for general historic events and photos. lahabra.seniorhigh.net/../../../../timeline/MpreAndAncient.html
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