The Story of Maths (2008) - Episode 1 of 4 - The Language of the Universe

The Story of Maths is a four-part series about the history of mathematics, presented by Oxford Professor Marcus du Sautoy.. The series was a co-production between the Open University and the BBC and aired in October 2008 on BBC Four.


In this landmark series of films for BBC FOUR, Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, escorts viewers through the history of this most important of all intellectual disciplines. In a journey that takes him through the ages and around the world, he examines the development of key mathematical ideas and shows how, in a multitude of surprising ways, mathematical ideas underpin the science, technology, and culture that shape our world.

In "Episode 01 - The Language of the Universe", Prof. Marcus du Sautoy looks at how important and fundamental mathematics is to our lives before looking at the mathematics of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece.