The counting board is the precursor of the abacus[1], and the earliest known form of a counting device (excluding fingers and other very simple methods). Counting boards were made of stone or wood, and the counting was done on the board with beads, pebbles etc.[2] Not many boards survive because of the perishable materials used in their construction, or the impossibility to identify the object as a counting board.The counting board was invented to facilitate and streamline numerical calculations in ancient civilizations. Its inception addressed the need for a practical tool to perform arithmetic operations efficiently. By using counters or tokens on a board with designated sections, people could easily keep track of quantities, trade, and financial transactions.[3] This invention not only enhanced accuracy but also fueled the development of more sophisticated mathematical concepts and systems throughout history.
The counting board does not include a zero as we have come to understand it today. It primarily used Roman numerals to calculate. The system was based on a base ten or base twenty system, where the lines represented the bases of ten or twenty, and the spaces representing base fives.[4]
The oldest known counting board, the Salamis Tablet was discovered on the Greek island of Salamis in 1899.[5] [6] It is thought to have been used as more of a gaming board than a calculating device. It is marble, about 150 x 75 x 4.5 cm, and is in the Epigraphical Museum in Athens. It has carved Greek letters and parallel grooves.
The German mathematician Adam Ries described the use of counting boards in .