Editing Abacus (section)

=== Greece ===
[[Image:Salaminische Tafel Salamis Tablet nach Wilhelm Kubitschek Numismatische Zeitschrift Bd 31 Wien 1899 p.&nbsp;394 ff.jpg|thumb|upright|An early photograph of the Salamis Tablet, 1899. The original is marble and is held by the National Museum of Epigraphy, in Athens.]]
The earliest archaeological evidence for the use of the Greek abacus dates to the 5th century BC.<ref>{{harvnb|Ifrah|2001|p=15}}</ref> [[Demosthenes]] (384–322 BC) complained that the need to use pebbles for calculations was too difficult.<ref name=Will/><ref name=pull>{{harvnb|Pullan|1968|p=16}}</ref> A play by [[Alexis (poet)|Alexis]] from the 4th century BC mentions an abacus and pebbles for accounting, and both [[Diogenes]] and [[Polybius]] use the abacus as a metaphor for human behavior, stating "that men that sometimes stood for more and sometimes for less" like the pebbles on an abacus.<ref name=pull/> The Greek abacus was a table of wood or marble, pre-set with small counters in wood or metal for mathematical calculations.<ref name=":1" /> This Greek abacus was used in Achaemenid Persia, the [[Etruscan civilization]], Ancient Rome, and the Western Christian world until the [[French Revolution]].

The [[Salamis Tablet]], found on the Greek island [[Salamis Island|Salamis]] in 1846&nbsp;AD, dates to 300&nbsp;BC, making it the oldest counting board discovered so far. It is a slab of white marble {{convert|149|cm|0|abbr=on}} in length, {{convert|75|cm|0|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|4.5|cm|0|abbr=on}} thick, on which are 5 groups of markings. In the tablet's center is a set of 5 parallel lines equally divided by a vertical line, capped with a semicircle at the intersection of the bottom-most horizontal line and the single vertical line. Below these lines is a wide space with a horizontal crack dividing it. Below this crack is another group of eleven parallel lines, again divided into two sections by a line perpendicular to them, but with the semicircle at the top of the intersection; the third, sixth and ninth of these lines are marked with a cross where they intersect with the vertical line.<ref>{{harvnb|Williams|1997|pp=55–56}}</ref> Also from this time frame, the [[Darius Vase]] was unearthed in 1851. It was covered with pictures, including a "treasurer" holding a wax tablet in one hand while manipulating counters on a table with the other.<ref name="Will"/>