SYMBOLS AND SIGNS OF DIFFERENT CULTURES

This article delves into the ancient and medieval understanding of numbers not just as tools for counting, but as powerful symbols of cosmic and spiritual meaning. Rooted in early civilizations such as Babylon, Egypt, and Canaan, the mystical interpretation of numbers found its most complete expression in the philosophy of the Pythagoreans. For them, numbers reflected the very structure of the universe — a bridge between the finite and the infinite, the material and the divine. The article traces how specific numbers like 1, 3, 7, 10, 12, and 15 held deep symbolic weight across different traditions, from Greek philosophy to early Christian theology and Byzantine teachings. It also reflects on how the symbolic view of numbers gradually gave way to a more abstract and infinite mathematical vision in the modern era, beginning with Descartes. In doing so, the article invites readers to see how the concept of number has shaped not only mathematics, but the way people have understood the world and their place in it throughout history.