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How did ancient Egyptian scribes use repeated symbols to add and subtract numbers?

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arithmetic A page from a first-grade workbook typical of “new math” might state: “Draw connecting lines from triangles in the first set to triangles in the second set. Are the two sets equivalent in number?”

Ancient Egyptian scribes utilized a decimal-based simple grouping system to perform addition and subtraction. In this system, specific symbols represented powers of ten (1, 10, 100, 1,000, etc.), and each symbol was repeated as many times as necessary to represent the total value of a number.12

When performing addition or subtraction, the process essentially involved counting the total number of each type of symbol present in the numerical expressions. To complete the operation, the scribe would rewrite the result by grouping the symbols according to their new totals.1

While this notation was common in formal hieroglyphic writing found on stone inscriptions, scribes working on papyrus documents often used a more efficient, abbreviated script known as hieratic writing. Although the surviving texts do not detail specific mechanical procedures used to assist with these calculations, the additive nature of the symbols made the process straightforward for managing the logistics and engineering tasks of the time.12