The history of mathematics has its roots on the African continent. The oldest mathematical object was discovered in Africa in Swaziland. The oldest example of arithmetic was found in Zaire. The 4000 year old Moscow Papyrus contains geometry, originating in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt was the birthplace of mathematics. The great Greek mathematicians, including Pythagoras, Thales and Exodus, all learned much of their mathematics in Egypt, including the concept of zero. This article will discuss a brief history of mathematics in Africa. Starting with the Lebombo bone and the Ishango bone, I will then present Egyptian mathematics and end with a talk on Muslim mathematics in Africa. “Most histories of mathematics devote only a few pages to Africa and ancient Egypt… They generally ignore the history of mathematics in Africa… and give the impression that this history either did not exist , or, at least… is not knowable. » Thanks to archaeological evidence, we know that Africans were the first in the world to use counting to keep track of their affairs or the weather. Around 35,000 BC, in South Africa, the first known counting stick was made and left in Lebombo Cave. 29 notches were made in the stick. We don't know exactly what they were planning. Some think they counted the days from one moon phase to the next, but it could have been something else. Just as good. However, what we see is that around 35,000 years before Christ, the South Africans had the idea of ​​keeping records by making marks. “The Lebombo bone is a baboon fibula with a set of 29 carved notches. Archaeologists believe these marks are evidence of a primitive calendar, measuring either the lunar calendar or the menstrual calendar. This artifact is incredibly important to the underlying...... middle of paper...... history did not exist or, at least, is not knowable. Works Cited Egyptian Mathematics. (nd). MacTutor History of Mathematics. Retrieved April 26, 2011 from http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Indexes/Egyptians.htmlHypatia and Her Mathematics. (nd). www.maa.org. Accessed April 26, 2011 at www.maa.org/pubs/Calc_articles/ma055.pdfLebombo Bone. (nd). Kosmix: The web organized for you. Retrieved April 26, 2011 from http://www.kosmix.com/topic/lebombo_bone#ixzz1JoNc4VRlMathematics in Islamic Civilization - Dr. Ragheb Elsergany - Islam Story. (nd). Islam Story - Supervised by Dr. Ragheb Elsergany. Retrieved April 26, 2011 from http://en.islamstory.com/mathematics-islamic-civilization.html, an ancient mathematical object. (nd). Department of Mathematics. Accessed April 26, 2011 from http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/Ancient-Africa/ishango.html