Innovation No. 15 of 77 in the book
Counting by Tens
A base-10 number system carved into temple walls
- When
- c. 3000 BCE
- Dynasty
- 1st Dynasty
- Era
- Early Dynastic Period
You count in tens because you have ten fingers — and Egypt built the first full written number system on exactly that, by around 3000 BCE.
They had separate signs for 1, 10, 100, 1,000, on up to a million: a stroke, a hoop, a coiled rope, a lotus, a man with arms raised. To write a number, you simply repeated the signs.
It was pure base-10, the same tens-and-hundreds logic behind every price tag and odometer today.
The decimal world started with ten Egyptian fingers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the earliest archaeological evidence for counting by tens in ancient Egypt?
The earliest confirmed evidence dates to approximately 3000 BCE during Egypt's Early Dynastic (1st Dynasty). You count in tens because you have ten fingers — and Egypt built the first full written number system on exactly that, by around 3000 BCE.
How did ancient Egyptians develop counting by tens, and what is its legacy?
They had separate signs for 1, 10, 100, 1,000, on up to a million: a stroke, a hoop, a coiled rope, a lotus, a man with arms raised. To write a number, you simply repeated the signs. They had separate signs for 1, 10, 100, 1,000, on up to a million: a stroke, a hoop, a coiled rope, a lotus, a man with arms raised. To write a number, you simply repeated the signs. The decimal world started with ten Egyptian fingers.