Bisection of Trapezoids in Elamite Mathematics

Abstract

The bisection of trapezoids by transversal lines has many examples in Babylonian mathematics. In this article, we study a similar problem in Elamite mathematics, inscribed on a clay tablet held in the collection of the Louvre Museum and thought to date from between 1894--1595 BC. We seek to demonstrate that this problem is different from typical Babylonian problems about bisecting trapezoids by transversal lines. We also identify some of the possible mathematical ideas underlying this problem and the innovative approach that might have motivated its design.