Japanese archaeologists have discovered a multiplication table in Nara prefecture that is about 1,300 years old. It turned out to be the oldest of its kind ever found in Japan.
According to Arkeonews, the artifact is a small wooden tablet. It was found during excavations in the ruins of the Fujiwara Palace, which was located in the center of the ancient capital. Today, the city of Kashihara is located here.
According to the Nihon Shoki chronicle, in 694 AD, Fujiwara was the first capital of Japan built according to the Chinese model. However, in 710 the capital was moved to Nara.
A wooden tablet was discovered in the ruins of a room believed to have been occupied by the palace guards. Its dimensions are 16.2 by 1.2 centimetres. It is speculated that the found artifact was only part of a larger multiplication table dating from the late 7th and early 8th centuries AD. If the table were complete, its length would be 33 centimetres.
“It is believed to have been used in government offices and other places at that time,” said the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties in Nara. “It is believed to be one of the oldest wooden tablets in Japan and to contain a practical list of multiplication tables.”
The tablet contains well-known examples of multiplication, which we could only see in infrared light. All of them were written, according to the researchers, using kanji (Japanese characters with double meanings) or Chinese characters.
“The table begins with multiplication by nine, with five equations written horizontally on a line,” the researchers report. “At the initial stage of the study, only part of the multiplication table was legible because the symbols did not seem to have any regularity, the team tentatively classified it as ‘That’s a training board.’”
