Counting rods and the Roman abacus
The first ever “calculator”, invented simultaneously in China and Rome.
The facts
| Dates | AD 150 |
|---|---|
| Source | Printed on the chart |
Where this sits on the chart
Counting rods and the Roman abacus falls 4154 years out from Creation at the centre. On the printed chart you can put a finger here and read straight outward to see what the rest of the world was doing in the same moment.
Find Counting rods and the Roman abacus on the free interactive timeline →
Who else was alive
Construction of the Colosseum is completed in RomeAD 80The rule of Roman Emperor Trajan, during the peak of the Roman EmpireAD 98 – AD 117Paper making process is invented inAD 100Paper making process is invented in ChinaAD 100Maya civilizationAD 300 – AD 1300Wu Hu Period (take out tea) Buddhism prospersAD 304 – AD 439Council of Nicea, first ecumenical council of the Christian churchAD 325Codex SinaiticusAD 331
Now see where it sits
Everything on this page has a place on one 45×37″ chart — and once you can see what came before and after it, it stops being a fact and starts being a story you can follow.