![]() | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (July 2012) |
Brahmi numerals are a numeral system attested in the Indian subcontinent from the 3rd century BCE. It is the direct graphic ancestor of the modern Hindu–Arabic numeral system. However, the Brahmi numeral system was conceptually distinct from these later systems, as it was a non-positional decimal system, and did not include zero. Later additions to the system included separate symbols for each multiple of 10 (e.g. 20, 30, and 40). There were also symbols for 100 and 1000, which were combined in ligatures with the units to signify 200, 300, 2000, 3000, etc. In computers, these ligatures are written with the Brahmi Number Joiner at U+1107F.