Detail map of Lubombo Region, Eswatini Overview map of Lubombo Region, Eswatini

A: Lubombo Region, Eswatini

The Lebombo Bone, Oldest Known Mathematical Artifact

35000 BCE
Lebombo bone on top; Ishango bone below.
Image Source: www.researchgate.net
Lebombo bone on top; Ishango bone below.

The Lebombo bone, the oldest known mathematical artifact, is a tally stick with 29 distinct notches that were deliberately cut into a baboon's fibula. It was discovered within the Border Cave in the Lebombo Mountains of Swaziland.

The Lebombo bone resembles the calendar sticks still used by Bushmen in Namibia.

Timeline Themes

Mathematics / Logic
Prehistory
Archaeology