The Hindu-Arabic Numerals c6.120

c6.120

³ Albrecht Weber, *History of Indian Literature*, English ed., Boston, 1878, p. 256: "The Indian figures from 1–9 are abbreviated forms of the initial letters of the numerals themselves . . .: the zero, too, has arisen out of the first letter of the word ṣunya (empty) (it occurs even in Piṅgala). It is the decimal place value of these figures which gives them significance." C. Henry, "Sur l'origine de quelques notations mathématiques," *Revue Archéologique*, June and July, 1879, attempts to derive the Boethian forms from the initials of Latin words. See also J. Prinsep, "Examination of the Inscriptions from Girnar in Gujerat, and Dhauli in Cuttach," *Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal*, 1838, especially Plate XX, p. 348; this was the first work on the subject.