The Suàn shù shū, ``writings on reckoning'': rewriting the history of early Chinese mathematics in the light of an excavated manuscript (Q885081)

The discovery of the earliest now extant mathematical manuscript from China, the \textit{Suan shu shu}, translated by the author as ``Writings on reckoning'', has attracted the attention of numerous historians of mathematics. Dated no later than 186 B.C., the manuscript written on 190 bamboo strips, is particularly interesting with regard to the canonical \textit{Nine Chapters of Mathematical Procedures} (\textit{Jiu zhang suan shu}), compiled during the 1\(^{\text{st}}\) century A.D. Among Western language studies now available are: Christopher Cullen's complete translation of the text in [The \textit{Suan shu shu}, ``Writings on Reckoning'': a translation of a Chinese mathematical collection of the second century B.C., with explanatory commentary. Needham Research Institute, Cambridge, (2004)], Joseph Dauben's preliminary investigations [\textit{J. Dauben}, The \textit{Suan Shu Shu} (A Book on Numbers and Computations). Form, number, order. Studies on the history of science and technology. Festschrift for Ivo Schneider to his 65th birthday. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. Boethius. Texte und Abhandlungen zur Geschichte der Mathematik und der Naturwissenschaften 48, 151--168 (2004; Zbl 1078.01006)] and his recent translation [\textit{Suan Shu Shu}. A Book on Numbers and Computations. Arch. Hist. Exact Sci. 62, No. 2, 91--178 (2007; Zbl 1153.01004)]. \textit{K. Chemla} and \textit{S. Guo} have included material from the \textit{Suan shu shu} in their commentaries to their French translation of the \textit{Nine Chapters} [Les neuf chapitres sur les procédures mathématiques. Paris: Dunod (2004; Zbl 1055.01004)]. The present paper by Cullen is without doubt the most interesting, historically profound, and detailed discussion of the historical and cultural context and issues related to the \textit{Suan shu shu}. Enriched by numerous citations from the text and contemporary original sources, it outlines the physical and formal structure, mathematical content and historical significance of the text, the way in which its excavation from the tomb of a minor local government official changes our understanding of early mathematical activity in China, and in particular the nature of the \textit{Nine Chapters}. Cullen's conjectures are based not only on arguments from the mathematical realm, but he points out parallels in the textual transmission of other technical fields of knowledge in ancient China like medicine. He argues that the format of the \textit{Suan shu shu} should rather be considered like a ``textlet'', not as a coherent book but a rather loose compilation of independent sections transmitted partially or regularly recomposed with other sections. The \textit{Nine Chapters}, Cullen concludes, might be considered as being assembled and edited from such material, under whose form mathematical knowledge circulated during the Western Han.