1202Reputable sourceWell documented
The Hindu-Arabic Numerals Reach Europe
On the timeline · around 1202 · Zero, Algebra & Numerals
What happened
In 1202 the Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa — Fibonacci — published Liber Abaci, championing the Hindu-Arabic numeral system he had learned from Arab merchants in North Africa. Over the following centuries these digits (0–9) gradually replaced clumsy Roman numerals across Europe.
Why it matters
Adopting the Hindu-Arabic numerals revolutionized European commerce and science, making arithmetic accessible to ordinary people and helping set the stage for the scientific revolution.