History of Hindu Mathematics: A Source Book v1.c7.s6.1

v1.c7.s6.1

**Early Occurrence.** The *Kharoṣṭhī lipi* is a script written from right to left. The majority of the Kharoṣṭhī inscriptions have been found in the ancient province of Gāndhāra, the modern eastern Afghanistan and the northern Punjab. It was a popular script meant for clerks and men of business. The period during which it seems to have been used in India extends from the fourth century B.C. to the third century A.D. In the Kharoṣṭhī inscriptions of Aśoka only four numerals have been found. These are the primitive vertical marks for one, two, four, and five, thus: