Archimedean cuboctahedron: The Medieval Journey from the Middle East to Northern Russia

Abstract

Bronze cuboctahedral weights dated to the VIII-X centuries were found in northwest Russia near Ladoga, one of the most important trading centers in Eastern Europe in the VIII-X centuries. The history of the mathematical study of cuboctahedron and more generally of the entire family of Archimedean solids in the Middle East and Europe supports the archeological hypothesis about the origin of these artifacts and trading contacts between Europe and the Islamic Caliphate at that time when European mathematicians were not aware of such polyhedra, but Arab-Persian scientists and craftsmen were.