We use them every day; starting in first grade, we learn to do calculations and measure the world thanks to them. But where do numbers come from? How far have we come since, according to myth, the god Thoth gifted them to the ancient Egyptians? How have we counted, how have operations been performed over the centuries, the millennia? When and by what means did the positional system spread, ousting the additive one? And why are the Arabic (or Indian) numerals we use different from the numbers the Arabs use?
Moving with ease between Egypt in the 4th millennium BC and medieval abacus schools, patiently handling the nails that ran on Roman “calculators” and the tokens used by Pope Sylvester II around the year 1000, traveling with Arab merchants (and mathematicians) along the roads between the Indus Valley and Morocco, Alessandro Magrini addresses these and many other questions in Nel segno di Thot, an ideal sequel to Il dono di Cadmo, in which he accompanied us on the discovery of the alphabet.
And here too, anecdotes, curiosities, and above all the clarity of exposition and passion that shines through every page make this well-documented study highly enjoyable. Here too, we journey captivated through time and space, marveling at the wonders that man has managed to create thanks to a few small marks carved or written with chalk, a quill, or a pen.
After studying classical philology and Egyptology at La Sapienza University in Rome, where he gave lectures on teaching Latin and the use of information technology as a tool for writing and cataloging hieroglyphic texts, he has never stopped cultivating his passion for the study of languages and the ancient world. A licensed tour guide for Rome and its province, currently an editor at the Futura publishing house, he has collaborated with the Archaeological Groups of Italy and the Italian Center for Experimental Archaeology since a very young age. For Ponte alle Grazie, he has published True Love Is When Everyone Falls in Love. Dialogues of a Little Girl with Her Father from Birth to Four Years (with his daughter Elena, 2020) and Cadmus’ Gift. The Incredible Story of the Letters of the Alphabet (2022).
We use them every day; starting in first grade, we learn to do calculations and measure the world thanks to them. But where do numbers come from? How far have we come since, according to myth, the god Thoth gifted them to the ancient Egyptians? How have we counted, how have operations been performed over the centuries, the millennia? When and by what means did the positional system spread, ousting the additive one? And why are the Arabic (or Indian) numerals we use different from the numbers the Arabs use?
Moving with ease between Egypt in the 4th millennium BC and medieval abacus schools, patiently handling the nails that ran on Roman “calculators” and the tokens used by Pope Sylvester II around the year 1000, traveling with Arab merchants (and mathematicians) along the roads between the Indus Valley and Morocco, Alessandro Magrini addresses these and many other questions in Nel segno di Thot, an ideal sequel to Il dono di Cadmo, in which he accompanied us on the discovery of the alphabet.
And here too, anecdotes, curiosities, and above all the clarity of exposition and passion that shines through every page make this well-documented study highly enjoyable. Here too, we journey captivated through time and space, marveling at the wonders that man has managed to create thanks to a few small marks carved or written with chalk, a quill, or a pen.
11 nov 2025
h 9:00 |
Event location:
EXMA Conference room
Via San Lucifero, 71 Cagliari
Access to the Cagliari FestivalScienza activities is free for everyone. Reservations are required only for schools and organized groups.
