2012/05/25 by David Lloyd · 1 citation
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #History and Theory of Mathematics #Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications #Quantum Mechanics and Applications
paper · doi:10.1080/17498430.2012.670845
openalex publication_date 2012/05/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Recently a belief has spread that the set of five Platonic Solids has been known since prehistoric times, in the form of carved stone balls from Scotland, dating from the Neolithic period. A photograph of a group of these objects has even been claimed to show mathematical understanding of the regular solids, a millennium or so before Plato. I argue that this is not so. The archaeological and statistical evidence do not support this idea, and it has been shown that there are problems with the photograph. The high symmetry of many of these objects can readily be explained without supposing any particular mathematical understanding on the part of the creators, and there seems to be no reason to doubt that the discovery of the set of five regular solids is contemporary with Plato.