𝋠 𝋡 𝋢 𝋣 𝋤
Maya numerals
A place-value system in base 20, with a zero.
StructurePositional — a digit's value depends on the column it sits in
Base20
ZeroYes — a true zero, holding an empty place
RegionMesoamerica
Datesattested from c. 1st c. BCE; zero in use by the 4th c. CE
UnicodeU+1D2E0–U+1D2F3
Status historic
Curatorial note
Bar for five, dot for one, shell for zero — a positional vigesimal system with a true zero, developed entirely independently of India. Two of the three inventions of zero on this floor happened in the Americas and in South Asia, with no contact between them, which is the strongest evidence the floor offers that zero is discovered rather than invented.
Specimen
The digits, at size 56 𝋠 𝋡 𝋢 𝋣 𝋤
40 𝋠 𝋡 𝋢 𝋣 𝋤
26 𝋠 𝋡 𝋢 𝋣 𝋤
17 𝋠 𝋡 𝋢 𝋣 𝋤