ABSTRACT
The origin of abstract numbers is lost forever in the mists of time. To know what lies behind that thick curtain of mist we call human history, we must sift through what has been excavated archeologically or decipher clues in what remains in the written record of civilizations, also long gone. In doing so, we may catch a glimpse of what first motivated us to invent numbers. It is important to remember that the invention of numbers was not a spontaneous act, but rather the result of a long evolutionary process.
