What is the Ishango bone?

Juan Apolinario C. Reyes

On top of the early human’s need to describe quantity, they also needed a language to describe and predict patterns in nature. The Ishango bone, for example, was an early mathematical exercise to count the cycle of lunar phases as they relate to the menstrual cycle of adult women.

What reasons compelled ancient people of Ishango to track the menstruation cycle? We cannot ever answer this with complete satisfaction, but we can make intelligent guesses based on our observations of people’s cultural beliefs about menstruation in present day societies.

In US and UK, for example, women during their period are observed to be irritable, and so it pays never to cross them during their period. Bears roaming the temperate forests of these places have a keen nose for blood, and so it is prudent for women never to enter the forest during menstruation. In Poland, to have sex with a woman in her period is sure to kill the man. In the Philippines, women are advised never to take a bath, because taking a bath during one’s period causes infertility.

The ancient people of Ishango probably have more strange beliefs about menstruation, possibly even stranger than our superstitions, and so, it pays to track the menstruation cycle of women.

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