A tally stick (or simply a tally[1]) was an ancient memory aid used to record and document numbers, quantities, and messages. Tally sticks first appear as animal bones carved with notches during the Upper Palaeolithic; a notable example is the Ishango Bone.

The earliest known tally stick is the ‘Ishango Bone tally’ made from the thigh-bone of a baboon, and dates from around 18000-20000 BC (Upper Palaeolithic). Historical reference is made by Pliny the Elder (AD 23–79) about the best wood to use for tallies, and by Marco Polo (1254–1324) who mentions the use of the tally in China.

has revealed that: 1) the early Sumerians used wooden tally sticks for counting; 2) tally marks led to proto-writing; 3) the Sumerian pictograms for goats and sheep probably derive from tally stick notch conventions; 4) the Uruk period civilization used counting boards; 5) the authors of the proto-cuneiform tablets drew with animal claws or bird

King Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, assumed the throne of England in 1100 AD, and in an effort to enhance his power, invented a unique money system called the tally stick system. Tally sticks were made of polished hazel or willow wood, and transactions were recorded by notches carved into the square tally with a knife.

2024年1月3日 · While it was at first considered an ancient (9000 BC) tally stick, many now think it represents the oldest table of prime numbers. The first record existing of tally marks is on a leg bone of a baboon dating prior to 30,000 BC.

2023年8月23日 · It was not until Beaumont’s dig in the 1970s, however, that the cave gave up its most significant treasure: the earliest known tally stick, in the form of a notched, three- inch long baboon fibula. On the face of it, the numerical instrument known as …

2024年10月1日 · A tally stick (or simply tally) was an ancient memory aid device used to record and document numbers, quantities and messages. Tally sticks first appear as animal bones carved with notches during the Upper Palaeolithic; a notable example is the Ishango Bone.

2023年8月21日 · It was not until Beaumont’s dig in the 1970s, however, that the cave gave up its most significant treasure: the earliest known tally stick, in the form of a notched, three- inch long baboon fibula. On the face of it, the numerical instrument known as …

2023年10月16日 · Tally sticks are modest-looking objects: wooden sticks of varying length carved in different ways and manners. As mentioned, they were used in a wide field of contexts, from agriculture,...

Tally marks, also called hash marks, are a form of numeral used for counting. They can be thought of as a unary numeral system. They are most useful in counting or tallying ongoing results, such as the score in a game or sport, as no intermediate results need …