RHIND PAPYRUS

and BASE 7
Author
Paolo Di Pasquale
Lighting Designer
Copyright 1988 2013
www.baseseven.com

Page 1

RHIND PAPYRUS and BASE 7

In 1858 , in the Valley of Nile, A. Henry Rhind [1833-1863] buy a papyrus found at Thebes in Upper Egypt .
The document is a collection of 84 math problems in arithmetic , primitive algebra and geometry .
The papyrus is written from right to left in hieratic [cursive].
The text is in two colors, black and red, and is accompanied by drawings of geometric shapes.
It 's written by a scribe named A'H-Mose , now known by the name of Ahmes .
The author of the papyrus is not the scribe A'H-Mose, but it was by him copied from an old manuscript in his
possession.
We can fix the dates of both the original work and its copy with remarkable precision.
It was written almost four thousand years ago and is one of the first , and by far the largest ancient mathematical
document known to us .
The document contains a complete and detailed description of the mathematical sciences of the time.
The scribe Ahmes to copy it says that the document was considered useful for the knowledge of all secrets .
The Rhind Papyrus is deposited at " British Museum " [ref. 10057 and 10058].
The official translation of the Rhind Papyrus is made by Eric Peet in 1928.
By Prof. Peet the Papyrus is first translated from Hieratic into Hieroglyphics and subsequently translated in English
using mathematics in Base 10 , and numbers 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.
From 1928 onwards there are no subsequent translations recognized by the British Museum.
.

The main point is that when one takes into account what we know about ancient Egyptian mathematics (based
primarily on the Rhind Papyrus) and what we know about the system of measuring lengths in terms of "cubits,"
"palms," and "fingers" , all involve the number 7 and its multiple. For this I want submit a question for ponder the
necessity of a new study to going over the translation of the papyrus written by Eric Peet.
We should try to translate again the Papyrus and proceed, taking into account also the Base 7 and its multiples
which correspond quantitatively to the signs of the Egyptian numbers.

DISCUSSION GROUP
for any suggestion or topics regarding this matter, please contact
about.rhind.papyrus@gmail.com

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BASE 7 [see also www.baseseven.com ]

Base 7 system is composed by numbers

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10
Base 7 multiplication Table

Base 7 division Table

^^

Base 7 system and Hieroglyphic Symbols

^^^

Example of translation regarding RMP n 79 in Base 7

RMP n 79
In a property there are 7 homes.
In each house there are 7 cats.
Each cat catch 7 mice.
Each mouse eats 7 ears.
Each ear contains 7 hekats of barley
How many things are there in this story?

Solution

in BASE 7

HOMES
CATS
MICE
EATS
HEKATS

10
100
1000
10000
100000

TOTAL

111110

1
2
4

in BASE 10 by Eric Peet

11111
22222
44444

7
49
343
2401
16807

111110

19607

Paolo Di Pasquale
lighting and painting designer
Copyright 1988 2013

1
2
4

2801
5602
11204
19607

Page 3