The publication reopens debate over numeral origins

Raised in Tehran, Mirzakhani became an influential geometer studying curved surfaces and dynamical systems.

Her work connected geometry, topology and dynamics in spaces whose points represent different shapes of Riemann surfaces.

Olympiad training and university study in Iran preceded her doctorate and research appointments in the United States.

Her birthday later became the date for an international celebration encouraging women's participation in the field.

A paper dated 24 July 2007 separates zero as absence, positional numeral and abstract mathematical object.

The study highlights how symbols, words and operations changed as knowledge moved among Indian, Arabic and European traditions.

Because the ancient developments lack one exact day, this record uses the study's publication date and states that choice explicitly.

A paper published on 10 January 2008 examines a cord-based record attributed to early colonial Peru and its relationship to Inca astronomy.

Colors, knots and cord organization are studied as a system for storing numerical and calendrical data.

Astronomical reconstruction is used to test whether events represented in the document match celestial phenomena.