# Please Don’t Eat the Halafian Daisies, or Plant Based Mathematics in Prehistory?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-week-in-the-ancient-near-east-3467259/please-don-t-eat-the-halafian-daisies-or-plant-based-mathematics-in-prehistory
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-week-in-the-ancient-near-east-3467259/please-don-t-eat-the-halafian-daisies-or-plant-based-mathematics-in-prehistory.md
Podcast: [This Week in the Ancient Near East](https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-week-in-the-ancient-near-east-3467259)
Published: 2026-03-23T11:29:33+00:00
Episode link: https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/e/please-don-t-eat-the-halafian-daisies-or-plant-based-mathematics-in-prehistory/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/sxrfsp9kk38pfej5/podcast_136_-_3_22_26_1224_PM8k0gh.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2545

## Resource

New research suggests that the painted designs on prehistoric Halafian pottery represent mathematical reasoning. If you count all the leaves and bushes, this tracks. What kind of crazy people count the leaves and bushes? Archaeologists, that’s who.

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## Transcript

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