Since I sent the link of the Smithsonian Magazine article about the number Zero ( http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/origin-number-zero-180953392/?no-ist), I received comments from a couple of Khmers and a Vietnamese doubting that Khmers were the inventor of the number Zero.
Prior to 1930, most people such as the British scholar G. R. Kaye believed that Zero was invented by either the Arabs or the Europeans. In his Euro-centric’s bias, Kaye refuted the claim that Indian was the first inventor of Zero. During that time, the oldest Zero was discovered at the temple of Chatur-bujha in Gwalior, a major historical city in Madhya Pradesh in India, dating to the mid-9th century. Because that period of time coincided with the Islamic leadership centered around the Caliph, Kaye with his bias and without proof theorized that Zero was invented by the European and then reached India through trades from Arab merchants. Now, with the rediscovery of the K.127 stele (the numeration was given by George Coedes after he discovered the stele in 1931) by Amir Aczel showing clearly the date 605 Sakarach etched on the stone, which corresponded to 683 AD or 684 AD depending on the month that the inscription was etched, some Khmer people (and just recently also a Vietnamese) refused to believe that our ancestors could create such an important invention. Why people can accept that Europeans, Indians, or Arabs invented Zero but they cannot accept that Khmers could achieve such a feat also? Have they forgotten that ancient Khmers had built temples and monuments as grandiose and complicated as the European, Arab, and Indian? Building such monuments required engineering knowledge. The proof is in the pudding, but people still doubt us. It seems some of us have forgotten our roots. Until archaeologists and/or scholars can come up with a new and indisputable proof of Zero invented by other people, for the moment Khmers can bathe in reflected glory of our ancestors’ achievement. Kenneth So Kenneth So Aryasatya (Sanskrit) Chattari Ariyasachchani (Pali) Chatuk Arei Sachak (Khmer) The Four Noble Truths (English) In Steps with Khmer Soul & Khmer Conscience On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 8:38 AM, Kenneth So <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear All, > > I wish to bring to your attention the publication of the Origin of the > Number Zero in the Smithsonian Magazine in the December 2015 issue. > Attached is the link to read the article: > > http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/origin-number-zero-180953392/?no-ist > > The publication of the Origin of the Number Zero in this first-rated > magazine is very important for us, Khmer, and for our nation. Until there > is another finding predating the number zero inscribed in the K-127 stele, > we can claim that the number Zero was invented by Khmer. We should be very > proud of our ingenuity and I propose to our government to set a specific > date to celebrate the invention of the number Zero every year to remind our > people and the world of this great Khmer invention. > > Besides George Coedes who was the first person who discovered the K-127 > stele and deciphered the date and the number Zero, Mr. Amir Aczel who had > read about Coedes' discovery should also be hailed as a hero. If it were > not for his dedication and pursuit of the truth, the world would have > forgotten about this extremely important invention and the number Zero > would still have been attributed to the work done by either the Arab or the > Indian. As of now, we can claim without a shadow of a doubt that Khmer was > the first who invented the number Zero. Another person that should be given > credit and also hailed as a hero is Mr. HabTouch, the Director General of > the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. If it were not for Mr. Touch > directing Mr. Aczel to look at the Angkor Conservation site and also giving > him permission to enter the site, the K-127 stele may have been sitting > among the piles of steles scattered in the area and still undiscovered to > this date. > > It seems that fate has favored our nation to be recognized as the inventor > of the number Zero, which could be argued as the most important invention > in human history. Without the number Zero, the world would not have been > able to progress as it is. The modern world cannot function without using > the number Zero. > > The K-127 could have disappeared and/or changed hands many times. If it > were not for the French to reclaim Siem Reap for us from Thailand, the > Thais would have claimed that they were the inventors of the number Zero. > The Khmer Rouge, with their stupidity and ignorance of anything of > importance, could have destroyed the K-127 stele. Yet, this stele had beat > all the odds as if it awaits to be rediscovered and to be reclaimed by its > true owner, the Khmer. > > Thank You, > > Kenneth So > > Kenneth So > Aryasatya (Sanskrit) > Chattari Ariyasachchani (Pali) > Chatuk Arei Sachak (Khmer) > The Four Noble Truths (English) > In Steps with Khmer Soul & Khmer Conscience > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. 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