The inaugural Huxley Lecture on the History of Mathematics took place on Thursday the 28th of April at 6pm in CB8, Callan Building, North Campus, Maynooth University.
The speaker was Dr Serafina Cuomo of the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck, University of London
Title: "Numeracy in Ancient Greece and Rome"
Abstract: How did the ancient Greeks and Romans count, calculate, and measure? What numerical notation systems did they use, in the absence of Indo-Arabic numerals? What calculation techniques and devices did they employ, in order to add up taxes, or distribute free grain? Did the concept of standardization exist? The talk will address those questions, draw some general conclusions about numeracy in ancient Greece and Rome, and advance suggestions as to how historical studies of numeracy can help us better articulate modern concerns about numeracy and mathematical education.