Please join us to discuss the history of the number zero as it was inscribed on an ancient stele in Cambodia. The inscription is arguably the oldest representation of zero ever found, dating back to 605 of the Chaka eras or 687 CE and was originally found in a temple within the Trepang Prei archaeological site in the 19th century. Georges Cœdès translated the stele in 1931 from ancient Khmer. Although thought lost or destroyed during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, the stele containing the zero was rediscovered through the research of Amir D. Aczel, and is now displayed in the National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. We will discuss why this discovery of zero is important within the history of mathematics, as well as its wider cultural and historical significance, and how the ability to represent and use zero as a numeral led to advanced mathematics.
Presentations will be given by Dr. Darith Ea, Archeologist and Director of the Department of Conservation and Archaeology of the National Authority for Preah Vihear; and Ms. Debra Aczel and Dr. Miriam Aczel of the Amir D. Aczel Foundation for Research and Education in Science and Mathematics. The webinar will be moderated by Dr. Eve Zucker, CKS President.
Join us via Zoom on October 04, 2022 at 8:30 AM (New York), 2:30 PM (Paris), 7:30 PM (Phnom Penh)
Free registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1016140445641/WN_nhzZtFFnSeGz9xeatqRvQg
More information: https://khmerstudies.org/the-meanings-and-importance-of-the-khmer-zero/