Latest / Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History
The Indian Mathematician Who Discovered Zero on a Trade Route
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the voyages of Buddhist monk and scholar Xuanzang, whose journey from China to India along the Silk Road brought back not just scriptures but the revolutionary concept of zero. They discuss the Nalanda university, the mathematical genius of Brahmagupta, and how the decimal system spread from Indian traders to the Islamic world and Europe. Along the way, they touch on the Kushan patronage of learning, the Sogdian merchants who carried ideas alongside goods, and the debate over whether zero was invented or discovered. A nuanced look at how trade routes…
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