More Puzzles
OSTOMACHION
The oldest known mathematical puzzle is called the
Ostomachion (also known as the Syntomachion, the
Stomachion, or the "loculus of Archimedes" <Archimedes'
box>) and dates back two thousand years ago to
Archimedes. It is a flat puzzle comprised of 14 polygon
pieces (11 triangles, 1 pentagon and 2 quadrangles) set
in the shape of a square.
The word “Ostomachion” is derived fr om the Greek οστό
(‘osteon’ - meaning bone) and μάχη (‘mache’ - meaning fight,
battle or combat). Literally, “Ostomachion” means “bone-
fight” which is fitting since the pieces were originally
made of bone.
The Ostomachion was first discovered, in 1906, in the pages of the Archimedes Palimpsest (palimpsest: a manuscript page from which the text has been scraped or washed off so that the page can be reused for another document) - a 10th-century manuscript containing the copied writings of Archimedes that was overwritten with religious text by 13th-century monks.
Before the pages could be completely studied, the 14-piece square was assumed to be a sort of children’s puzzle, that much like a tangram set, could be rearranged to form different figures (animals, people, objects etc). Although this seemed to be beneath Archimedes talent, there was no clearer explanation at the time.