Sumerian Accountants Invented Zero as a Placeholder

Around 5500 to 1800 BC, Sumerian scribes were pioneers in using a blank space to represent the idea of nothing in their numerical writing, which was later substituted with two angled wedge shapes. This breakthrough came about to improve record-keeping as cities in Mesopotamia expanded. Before clay tablets became commonplace, people used tally marks on sticks and stones dating back to about 8000 BC. Writing emerged alongside numerals to document transactions and agreements. Additionally, clay bullae, which held tokens, were used in trade to confirm goods. Although the Sumerians utilized zero as a placeholder in numbers like 201 and 360, it's still debated whether the first clear instance of zero in calculations originated in China around 500 BC or Babylon around 400 BC. The concept later spread to India through Arab traders, where mathematician Āryabhata in 499 AD referred to it as "kha." Brahmagupta in 628 AD outlined arithmetic rules for zero, introduced negative numbers, and positioned zero on the number line, treating it as a full number. The Maya and Chinese also developed the concept of zero independently. While the Sumerians acknowledged the idea of nothing in accounting by 2000 BC, it was India that truly recognized zero as a number.