The Bakhshali Manuscript and the Zero Symbol

Record summary

The Bakhshali Manuscript is a mathematical text written on birch bark and containing place-value numerals with dot-like markers that resemble an early zero sign. It matters for comparing the development, transmission, and practical use of numerical notation in South Asia. Radiocarbon dating produced different dates for different folios, while palaeography and textual stratification raise further questions about copying and compilation. The manuscript is not a single straightforward snapshot of one period, and the earliest dated dot should not automatically be equated with the fully developed numeral zero.