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themselves, that the decimal notation is a discovery for which they are indebted to the Hindus.[1] At what time the communication took place, has, I believe, never yet been ascertained. But it seems natural to suppose that it was at the same period, when, after the accession of the Abbaside dynasty to the caliphat, a most lively interest for mathematical and astronomical science first arose among the Arabs. Not only the most important foreign works on these sciences were then translated into Arabic, but learned foreigners even lived at the court of Bagdad, and held conspicuous situations in those scientific establishments which the noble ardour of the caliphs had called forth. History has transmitted to us the names of several distinguished scholars, neither Arabs by birth nor Mohammedans by their profession, who were thus attached to the court of Almansur and Almamun; and we know from
- ↑ It is almost unnecessary to adduce further evidence in support of this remark. Baha-eddin, after a few preliminary remarks on numbers, says
وقد وضع لها حكماء الهند الارقام التسعة المشهورة
“Learned Hindus have invented the well known nine figures for them.” (Kholáset al-Hisáb, p. 16.)
In a treatise on arithmetic, entitled متن النزهة في علم الحساب which forms part of Sir W. Ouseley’s most valuable collection of Oriental manuscripts, the nine figures are simply called الاشكال الهندية.
See, on the subject generally, Professor von Bohlen’s work, Das alte Indien, (Königsberg, 1830. 1831. 8.) vol. II. p. 221, and Alexander von Humboldt’s most interesting dissertation: Ueber die bei verschiedenen Völkern üblichen Systeme von Zahlzeichen, &c. (Berlin, 1829. 4) page 24.
