The Ishango artefact: the missing base 12 link

In 1950, the Belgian Prof. J. de Heinzelin discovered a bone at Ishango, aCongolese village at the sources of the Nile. The artefact has patterned notches, makingit the first tool showing logic reasoning. Here, Pletser proposes his new “slide rule”interpretation, rejecting former “arithmetic game” and “calendar” explanations. Countingmethods of present day civilisations in Africa provide circumstantial evidence forPletser’s hypothesis. Moreover, it confirms de Heinzelin’s archaeological evidence aboutrelationships between Egypt, West Africa and Ishango. It points towards the use of thebase 12, which anthropologist Thomas had studied in West Africa some 80 years ago. Itappears that the Ishango artefact is the missing link Thomas was looking for. These resultswhere obtained independently; for instance, space scientist Pletser just stumbled over theIshango artefact as he favoured the project of carrying it into space, as an Africanequivalent of the Katachi-symmetry relationship.

Английский

Forma. – 1999. – Vol. 14. – P. 339–346.