On the origin of the Fibonacci Sequence

T.C. Scotta,b , P. Marketosc,d

a

Institut f
ur Physikalische Chemie, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany,
email : tcscott@gmail.com
b
College of Physics and Optoelectronics, Taiyuan University of Technology, Ying Jersey
Avenue 79, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China 030024, email :tcscott@gmail.com
c
I.M.Panagiotopoulos School, International Baccalaureate Department, 14, N. Lytra
Street, Psychiko 154 52, GREECE, email : marketop@otenet.gr
d
21A, Florinis Street, 152 35 Vrilissia GREECE

Abstract
Herein we investigate the historical origins of the Fibonacci numbers. After
emphasising the importance of these numbers, we examine a standard conjecture concerning their origin only to demonstrate that it is not supported
by historical chronology. Based on more recent findings, we propose instead
an alternative conjecture through a close examination of the historical and
historical/mathematical circumstances surrounding Leonardo Fibonacci and
relate these circumstances to themes in medieval and ancient history. Cultural implications and historical threads of our conjecture are also examined
in this light.
Keywords: Fibonacci, Medieval, Islam (Medieval), Greek, Egyptian,
Amazigh (Kabyle), Bejaia
01A13, 01A35, 01A20, 01A30
1. Introduction
Conventional wisdom suggests that the Fibonacci numbers were first introduced in 1202 by Leonardo of Pisa, better known today as Fibonacci, in his
book Liber abaci, the most influential text on mathematics produced in Europe at that time. The Fibonacci number sequence appeared in the solution
to the following problem :
A certain man put a pair of rabbits in a place surrounded on
all sides by a wall. How many pairs of rabbits can be produced
from that pair in a year if it is supposed that every month each
Published by MacTutor History of Mathematics

March 23, 2014

pair begets a new pair which from the second month on becomes
productive ?
The resulting sequence is
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55,

(1)

(Fibonacci omitted the first term in Liber abaci). The recurrence formula for
these numbers is :
F (0) = 0
F (1) = 1
F (n) = F (n 1) + F (n 2) n > 1 .

(2)

Although Fibonacci only gave the sequence, he obviously knew that the nth
number of his sequence was the sum of the two previous numbers.
Johannes Kepler, known today for the Kepler Laws of celestial mechanics,
noticed that the ratio of consecutive Fibonacci numbers, as in for example,
the ratio of the last two numbers of (1), approaches which is called the
Golden or divine ratio (e.g. see [Cook,1979]) :

55
1+ 5
= 1.618 =
(3)
34
2
In a detailed analysis [Jung&Pauli,1952/2012], the Nobel-prize winning Physicist W. Pauli discussed possible influences on Kepler concerning the formulation of his Kepler laws, the mathematical relations put forward by Kepler (1571-1630) in an effort to fit the astronomical data of Tycho Brahe
of Copenhagen. Keplers laws were eventually derived by Newton through
the application of Galileos findings in dynamics. This successful effort gave
birth to the science of Classical Mechanics, upon which Modern Physics
and all its far-reaching technological applications and philosophical concepts
are based.
According to Pauli, two of the most important pervasive influences on Keplers beliefs originated from Pythagorean Mathematics and the Fibonacci
numbers as manifested in the morphology of plants [Jung&Pauli,1952/2012,
p.163,189]. In particular, Keplers firm belief that the number 3 (a Fibonacci
number) was more important than the number 4 (which is not in the Fibonacci sequence) in contradistinction to what other competing astrologers
believed. According to Dampier [Dampier,1966, p.127], Kepler was searching . . .for the mathematical harmonies in the mind of the Creator.
2

It has been noticed that leaf arrangements on certain plants and

petals on some flowers follow patterns described by the Fibonacci sequence [Cook,1979, V]. The presence of Fibonacci numbers in pine
cones has received particular attention [Cook,1979, VII]. From a top
view of a pine cone as shown in Figure 1, two sets of spirals may be distinguished : one in the clock-wise direction and another in the counterclockwise direction. The ratio of the
Fig. 1. Fibonacci spirals in pine
numbers of each set is almost always
cones. Courtesy of Warren Wilson
College Physics Dept. [Collins,2011]. a ratio of two Fibonacci numbers. Fibonacci helices, based on small Fibonacci numbers, appear in the arrangement of leaves of many plants on the
stem. The Fibonacci spiral, also related to the Fibonacci sequence, occurs
in Nature as the shape of snail shells and some sea shells. Cook [Cook,1979]
found that the spiral or helix may lie at the core of lifes principles : that
of growth. The spiral is fundamental to organic life ranging from plants,
shells to animals horns [Cook,1979, XII] ; to the periodicity of atomic elements ; to microscopic DNA (the double helix) and to galaxy formations
like the Andromeda nebula [Cook,1979, XX] . What is unusual is that although the rabbit model problem seems contrived and artificial i.e. rabbits
do not reproduce in male-female twins 1 , the Fibonacci numbers have universal applications and appear to be ubiquitous to nature (see for example
[Stewart,1995,157-166]).
The wealth of examples cited in the previous paragraph indicates that the
Fibonacci numbers represent a fundamental mathematical structure. The
presence of these numbers and the Golden ratio in nature is certainly a
fascinating prevalent tendency, particularly in the botanical and zoological realms [Stevens,1979, Stewart,1999]. The presence of Fibonacci num1. Rabbits reproduce according to litters whose size varies according to their environment. In general, they reproduce at a very high geometrical rate, that is, like rabbits (if
amusingly but accurately put).

bers has been noted within ladder and cascade electronic network analysis [Arkin,1965,3,139-142], Modern Music [Lowman,1971,9-4,423-426&436,
Lowman,1971,9-5,527-528&536-537], tributary patterns of stream and drainage
patterns [Sharp,1972,10-6,643-655], Atomic Physics [Wlodarski,1963,1-4,61-63],
Education [Curl,1968,6-4,266-274] and Economics [Falconbridge,1964,2,320-322].
It is not always clear why these numbers appear but in a number of instances, but they do reflect minimization or optimization principles of some
sort, namely the notion that nature is efficient yet lazy, making the most
of available resources. The ubiquitous nature of Fibonacci numbers has even
inspired the creation of a journal, the Fibonacci Quarterly.
The Golden ratio has also been used in architecture and art. It is present in
many designs, from the ancient Parthenon [Cook,1979] in Athens to Stradivaris violins [Arnold,1983]. It was known to artists such as Leonardo da Vinci
[Cook,1979] and musicians and composers : Bach [Norden,1964,2,219-222],
Bartok [Lendvai,1971] and Debussy [Howat,1983].
What has puzzled scholars over the years is the contrast between the fundamental importance of the Fibonacci numbers themselves as opposed to
the artificiality of the rabbit reproductive model by which they were apparently first introduced. Fibonacci himself does not seem to have associated
that much importance to them ; the rabbit problem seemed to be a minor
exercise within his work. These numbers did not assume major importance
and recognition until the 19th century thanks to the work of the French
mathematician Edouard Lucas.
Historians have pondered over this and doubted or wondered about the
true inspiration behind these numbers and Fibonaccis knowledge of them.
By his own admission, Fibonacci was influenced by Islamic scholarship (in a
period of apex during Fibonaccis time). Historians have tried to assess this
influence especially since Fibonaccis contributions resemble the results of
Muslim scholars, in particular the work of Al-Khwarizm (780-850 CE) (e.g.
see [Zahoor,2000, CHS,1971]), a Muslim scholar who had written a book
on the Hindu-Arabic numbers and from whose works words algebra and
algorithm (a step-by-step procedure by which to formulate and accomplish
a particular task) are derived. This has motivated historians to associate the
origin of the Fibonacci sequence with Muslim scholarship in the middle ages.

The intent of this article is to offer a plausible conjecture as to the origin

of the Fibonacci numbers. We start by mentioning a relatively popular conjecture and state the reasons, both mathematical and historical, which are
supported from recent work (notably Roshdi Rashed [Rashed,1994,2]) as to
why we believe this conjecture to be improbable. We then present our own
conjecture that fits the facts as we know them today. Finally, we examine the
historical implications of this conjecture concerning Fibonaccis environment
after 1200 CE, in particular, the court of Frederick II (1196-1250 CE), ruler
of the Holy Roman Empire.
2. The Standard Conjecture
2.1. Pascals Triangle
First we generate Pascals triangle (e.g. see [Decker&Hirshfield,1992]). This
is accomplished by expanding terms in (x + 1)m for m = 0, 1, 2, . . . :
(x + 1)0
1
(x + 1)1
1+x
(x + 1)2
1 + 2 x + x2
3
(x + 1) 1 + 3 x + 3 x2 + x3
..
..
.
.

(4)

and arranging the coefficients to form the following triangle :

1
1 1
1 2 1
1 3 3 1
1 4 6 4 1
The entries in this triangle are the binomial coefficients :


m!
m
=
k
(m k)! k!

(5)

(6)

These can be related to the Pascal triangle once the latter (5) is re-arranged
in a flush-left matrix form as shown in Table 1, where row and column
numbering starts at zero. Each entry at the mth row and k th column of Table
1 is given by the binomial formula in (6). As shown in Figure 2, when the
5

entries in Pascals triangle are summed following a diagonal, the resulting

sums produce exactly the Fibonacci sequence. Algebraically, we can write
this diagonal sum as :

n1 
X
nk1
F (n) =
k

n>0

(7)

k=0

Although Blaise Pascal(1623-1662) is credited

for inventing this triangle, this was in fact Table 1
known to the Chinese at least 500 years ear- Pascal triangle in Matrix form
lier [Burton,1985]. It is believed that the great
Persian mathematician, philosopher and poet
column
Omar Al-Khayyam (1048-1131 CE) (e.g. see
0 1 2 3 4
[CHS,1971, Coolidge,1990]) knew about binomial coefficients and this triangle. The stan0 1
dard conjecture assumes that through his
r 1 1 1
contacts with the Muslims, Fibonacci would
o 2 1 2 1
have become aware of the Chinese triangle w 3 1 3 3 1
through the work of Al-Khayyam and from
4 1 4 6 4 1
there would have realized the pattern leading to the Fibonacci numbers. In particular, Al-Karaji (also called alKarkhi) apparently also knew about this triangle as well as binomial sums
[OConner&Robertson,1999] making it plausible that Leonardo Fibonacci
could have learned about this triangle and what was needed to infer the
Fibonacci sequence through his Muslim contacts.
2.2. Issues with the Standard Conjecture
Despite the clear mathematical relationship between the Fibonacci sequence
and the Pascal (or Chinese) triangle, there are major issues concerning the
Standard conjecture, both historical and mathematical.
2.2.1. Historical Issues
According to Rashed [Rashed,1994,2, p.148], in the examination of a set of
some 90 algebraic problems within Liber abaci, 22 of them were found to have
been borrowed from Al-Khwarizms book on algebra (Al-jabr wal muqabala,
written around 830 CE) and 53 from Ab
u-Kamils book on algebra (Kitab fi
al-jabr wal-muqabala, or Book on completion and balancing, written around
912 CE). One deals with exactly the same problems with occasionally a minor
6

change in the numerical coefficients. The borrowing is undeniably massive,

especially in the case of Ab
u-Kamil. The remaining problems in Fibonaccis
Liber Abaci of approximately 25 in number, whose origins have not been
identified, follow the models conceived by Al-Khwarizm and Ab
u-Kamil.
Not only does Fibonacci owe tribute to Al-Khwarizm and Ab
uKamil, he remains contemporary to
them, that is current on Muslim
mathematics of the 9th and 10th
centuries, even though Fibonacci
himself lived in a later period around
1200 CE. For example, in considering the equation from Al-Khayyam
(1048-1131 CE)

Fig. 2. Fibonacci numbers and

Pascal Triangle. Courtesy of
MathWorld [Mathworld].

x3 + 2 x2 + 10 x = 20

(8)

which was posed as a challenge to Fibonacci by John of Palermo, a problem

which Al-Khayyam could solve exactly using his devised methods of algebraic
geometry, Fibonacci accepts the challenge and offers a solution in a different
work called Flos (meaning The flower - a collection of solutions to problems
posed in the presence of Frederick II written in 1225 CE). However, he only
succeeds in obtaining a numerical approximation. There are other considerations [Rashed,1994,2, p.150] to indicate that although Fibonacci was ahead
of European mathematicians, he was not current with respect to the work of
Muslim mathematicians of his time. Rather, it seems that Fibonacci probably
relied on translations of the works of Al-Khwarizm by Gerard of Cremona
(1114-1187 CE), the latter being a pioneer in a major effort based in Toledo,
Spain to translate works written in Arabic into Latin for (Christian) Europe.
We note in passing that this has prompted scholars to conjecture that there
had to be a translation of Ab
u-Kamils work into Latin by the 12th century [Levy,2000,56,58]. Consequently, Fibonacci was probably not aware of
the Chinese triangle and thus the pattern leading to the Fibonacci numbers.
through the work of Omar Al-Khayyam. Before one makes the accusation

of plagiarism 2 , which Rashed himself does not do, allowances can be made
in consideration of the times that Fibonacci lived in. Fibonaccis period of
time falls within the period of the crusades and this is an era of superstition
and religious conflict between the Muslims and the Christian empires. Both
Spain and the Holy Land were regions of military skirmishes.
Fibonaccis period precedes the rigorous scientific principles formulated by
Newton and others : the era of science as we know it did not yet exist.
Rather science and non-scientific notions exist side-by-side. For example,
the activities of what we now call astronomy (a respectable science involving
classical celestial mechanics) and those of astrology (a form of divination
not taken seriously by most Western thinkers) are mingled together as part
of the same activity and handled by the same scholars 3 . The astrologers of
that time used astronomy to make predictions of planetary orbits and once
these were calculated, they would make their astrological predictions. A
similar feature also applies to alchemy, the ancestor of chemistry, as well as
medicine. In Fibonaccis day, one witnesses a prehistory to science rather
than science itself. scientific fact coexists with misinformation, superstition
and religious beliefs. Activities related to algebra, alchemy and astrology
all represent forms of magic to the majority of the population at that
time and face suspicion and resistance. From the Muslim side, there was
an understandable resentment of having their great scholarly works copied
or plagiarized by either Jewish or Christian translators [Burnett,1996].
The degree of disguise within translations of results from Islam was likely
commensurate to how important the disguised item was and the beeswax
technology was important to North-Africa at that time.
In retrospect, when considering the advance Muslim scholars had over Europeans in Fibonaccis time, it must be realized that a significant part of
Fibonaccis results are unavoidably efforts in translation. These translations
were filtered by the church authorities and consequently the translators
2. From the Islamic perspective at least, this would certainly be the case. However, this
is the time of the Crusades and the Christian side would view this in a very different light.
For instance, there is earlier claim that, in a manner similar to Sir Richard Burton, Adelard
of Bath disguised himself as a Muslim student and stole a copy of Euclids Elements before
translating it from Arabic into Latin [RouseBall,1908,p50-62].
3. It is a historical fact which scholars these days do not like to mention : Kepler was
a bona-fide astrologer as well as an astronomer.

had to refrain from a close association with Muslims or Muslim thought,

which could pose a danger to themselves and their works. Often, results had
to be disguised. Nonetheless, with this understanding, Fibonaccis work
provided an invaluable service in bringing significant mathematical contributions from the Muslim world to Christian Europe.
2.2.2. Mathematical Issues
As mentioned before, although Fibonacci provided his sequence in his Liber
abaci, he does not provide any recurrence relation. Nonetheless Fibonacci
provided a model by which to generate these numbers, which is equivalent
to the recurrence relation itself, though Fibonacci provided no formulation
for it.
We have argued in the previous section that Fibonacci was not aware of
the Chinese triangle. In the unlikely event however that he was aware if
it through the work of Omar AL-Khayyam, it is still highly unlikely that
he could have inferred this model from the Chinese triangle itself. The
diagonal sums of the triangle entries indeed produce the Fibonacci numbers
but yields no model. Generating the Fibonacci recurrence relation of (2)
from the binomial coefficients of (7) is a straightforward task today, but in
view of the previous discussion based on historical grounds, far too advanced
given Fibonaccis knowledge on Mathematics.
Even though Fibonaccis rabbit reproduction model is artificial i.e. : it is not
representative of the actual physical reproduction of rabbits, it does provide
nonetheless a mathematical model for generating the Fibonacci sequence
in complete agreement with the recurrence relation (2). Also, when one considers the various ways of generating this sequence that are known today, the
reproductive model is the easiest one, involving mathematical manipulations
that could be handled by Fibonacci.
In the next section, we provide an alternative conjecture that addresses the
historical and mathematical issues associated with the standard conjecture.
3. Alternative Conjecture
3.1. Exhibit A : Mercantile Culture of Bejaia and the Bee Family Tree
A first step in establishing this conjecture is in identifying Fibonaccis environment during his period in North Africa. At that time, North Africa and
9

Spain were in a golden age under the Berber ruling dynasties of the Almoravids (11th to 12th centuries) and to a lesser extent, the Almohads (12th to
13th centuries). Bejaia had reached a peak as a major center in North Africa
with a very significant intellectual elite, an artistic class and the equivalent
of a wealthy bourgeoisie [Marcais,1986,1,1204-1206].
Amongst its chief commercial exports, beeswax figured prominently as Bejaia had one of the most efficient technologies for wax production during
the middle ages [Marcais,1986,1,1204-1206, p.1204]. Indeed the French word
for a certain type of candle called bougie derives from the word Bejaia (which is still called Bougie even today by many French people). This
wax became very much in demand by members of the Christian clergy for
their religious gatherings and ceremonies 4 . Produced by the Berber tribes
known as the Kabyle within their mountains, this wax would be sold to Europe through the various merchants operating near the Mediterranean port
of Bejaia [Brett&Fentress,1997, p.130]. Without a doubt, as part of the Pisan
trade colony in Bejaia, Fibonacci was well aware of this technology and its
commerce 5 .
We note that although the rabbit reproduction problem is not realistic,
Fibonacci numbers fit perfectly to the reproduction ancestry of bees. Within
a colony of bees, only the queen produces eggs. If these eggs are fertilized
then female worker bees are produced. Male bees, which are called drones,
are produced from unfertilized eggs. Female bees therefore have two parents,
drones in contrast, have just one parent. Looking at the family tree of a male
drone bee (Figure 3a) we note the following :
1. The male drone has one parent, a female.
2. He also has two grand-parents, since his mother had two parents, a
male and a female.
3. He has three great-grand-parents : his grand-mother had two parents
but his grand-father had only one, and so forth . . .
4. Candles or torches based on animal fat were well known in Europe but these gave
an unpleasant stench ; a highly undesirable feature during a religious ceremony.
5. Naturally, Europeans and in particular monks, would eventually improve their own
beeswax technology. During the middle ages, one of the most important jobs in an Abbey
would become that of the Beekeeper, as a huge quantity of wax was constantly required
for the ceremonial candles. Bejaia would fall into disrepair and ruin after its conquest by
the Spanish and subsequent domination by the Turks.

10

generation
A
1
n
2
c
3
e
4
s
5
t
6
o
7
r
8
s
9

drone
1
2
3
5
8
13
21
34
55

worker/queen
2
3
5
8
13
21
34
55
89

(a) Bee Family Tree

Male

Female

13
8
5
3
2
1
1

(b) Fibonacci numbers .

Fig. 3. Bee Family Tree.

By tracing the number of ancestors at each generation, one obtains exactly
the Fibonacci sequence [Basin,1963,1,53-57] as shown in Figure 3b derived
from the Table in Figure 3a. As we can see, the ancestry of a worker or even
a queen 6 is simply a shifted Fibonacci sequence because of its connection
to the ancestry of the bee drone. From a mathematical point of view, it is
important to note that the number of ancestors at each generation n for
(mammalian) sexual reproduction is simply 2n . The ratio of two consecutive
generations is asymptotically equal to 2 :
lim

2n+1
= 2,
2n

(9)

whereas in the case of bees, it is asympotically equal to the Golden number

:
Fn+1
lim
= 1.618 .
(10)
Fn
In other words, the ancestry trees for bees and rabbits do not have the same
mathematical complexity. In tracing the ancestral family trees of rabbits or
bees, the reader may note that we have traced the reproduction aspect going
backwards in time rather than going forwards. Tracing the family tree is easy.
To be able to model reproduction happening forwards in time in a realistic
6. Both the worker and the queen are females, the main difference is that the queen
can reproduce because she is raised on royal jelly.

11

fashion, one has to take into account sizes of litters as in the case of rabbits or
yield of eggs in the case of bees and all these depend on statistical variations
and conditions related to factors such as food, death toll and environment. In
relative terms, this is a rather complicated problem. Naturally, one usually
follows the easiest path to an answer.
Here we have a simple reproductive/ancestry model which perfectly fits the
Fibonacci numbers and also falls into the mold of commerce-inspired problems which appear in Liber abaci ; the rabbit problem - as Fibonacci presented
it - being simply a variation (or disguised version) of the bee ancestry model.
We wish to emphasize that the connection between the latter and Fibonaccis numbers is natural and perfect as opposed to the contrived artificiality
of Fibonaccis rabbit problem.
Apart from the mathematical fit, it is essential to establish whether or not
the Muslims in the time of Fibonacci could have sorted out the bee ancestry trees. To some, this might seem as a challenging statement. However, in
the following sections we add to our present mathematical data, historical
evidence (hitherto referred to as exhibits with the present section counting as exhibit A) demonstrating that Fibonaccis numbers most certainly
could have been inspired by the beeswax mercantile environment of Bejaia
(Bougie).
3.2. Exhibit B : Translation Activity
Following the capture of Toledo during the Reconquista, a large collection
of books written in Arabic and Hebrew fell in the hands of the conquering
Christians. These works were then translated by Christian scholars. As mentioned already, Fibonaccis work should be considered in the context of these
translation activities, first centered around Toledo, a town inhabited at the
time by a mixed population of Christian, Jews and Muslims living together
side-by-side.
With the help of Jewish and Muslim scholars, the translation activities of
Gerard of Cremona were continued by followers into the thirteenth century.
This period marks the appearance of a major translator known as Michael
Scotus (1175-1235 CE) [Thorndike,1965, Burnett,1994,2,101-126] (Latinized
version of Michael Scot). Scotus became part of history and legend as the
court astrologer of Frederick II, ruler of the Holy Roman empire. Scotus
had learned greatly from the Muslims in areas of astrology and astronomy,
12

alchemy, medicine and algebra. Although well viewed by the papal authorities
around 1227, he would acquire the sinister reputation of a wizard and would
be condemned in the inferno in Dante Alighieris epic poem, The Divine
Comedy (albeit rescued much later on in Sir Walter Scotts poem Lay of
the Last Minstrel).
Scotus and Fibonacci were members of the court of Frederick II and would
play their part in transmitting much of the scientific knowledge of the Muslims (largely from Moorish Spain) into Europe (largely Italy and Sicily),
thereby planting many of the seeds of the Italian Renaissance [Haskins,1927,
Burnett,1994,2,101-126]. Not only were Scotus and Fibonacci contemporaries,
Fibonacci himself issued a revised version of his Liber abaci in 1227 CE
[Burnett,1996] 7 , with the following preface dedicated to Scotus [Thorndike,1965,
IV, pp.34-35] :
You have written to me, my Lord Michael Scotus, supreme philosopher, that I should transcribe for you the book on numbers which
I composed some time since. Wherefore, acceding to your demand
and going over it carefully, I have revised it in your honor and
for the use of many others. In this revision I have added some
necessary matters and cut some superfluidities. In it I have given
the complete doctrine of numbers according to the method of the
Hindus, which method I have chosen as superior to others in this
science . . .
To make the doctrine more apparent, I have divided the book into
fifteen chapters, so that the reader may more readily find whatever
he is looking for. Furthermore, if in this work inadequacy or defect
is found, I submit that to your emendation.
This preface is unusually flattering, almost the kind of acknowledgment a
graduate student would give his doctoral supervisor and some have wondered about its true meaning or justification [Brown,1897]. There are other
links between Fibonacci and Scotus : Scotuss use of the Pisan calendar
[Burnett,1994,2,101-126, p.116-117] and the dedication itself suggests a connection between Scotus and Pisa [Haskins,1927, p.275,290].
7. Rashed [Rashed,1994,2, p.147] quotes 1228 CE as the year of dedication.

13

By a deductive process, we wish to discern the possible relationship between

Fibonacci and Scotus. Judging from Fibonaccis other dedications and the
practices of his time, such a dedication to two types of individuals :
1. A patron, someone affluent and usually part of the nobility. Frederick II
was himself a patron. He was very impressed by Fibonacci and provided
him with support. Dominicus Hispanus, a nobleman was another patron
who had introduced Fibonacci to Frederick II himself around 1225 CE.
2. Someone who has been the source of inspiration to a mathematical
question or challenge, as is the case of John of Palermo (who had
posed a Diophantine-like problem which Fibonacci resolved in is Liber
Quadratorum) or Theodorus of Antioch (mentioned earlier).
We know that Scotus certainly could not figure in the first category. He
himself relied on benefices from the clergy [Thorndike,1965] and Frederick II
himself to whom all of Scotuss works were dedicated [Thorndike,1965].
Firstly, we can be almost certain that Scotus knew enough mathematics
to warrant Fibonaccis respect. As hinted by the dedication itself, Scotus
would naturally have been interested in using the Hindu-Arabic numbers
for his astrological computations in the service of Frederick II. However,
we would like to draw attention to a different area. In Scotuss own book
Liber Introductorius, which amongst other things, discusses matters that fall
into the scope of Aristotles Meterologica, Scotus presented an extension of
Aristotles five regions of air (dew, snow, rain, hoarfrost and hail) to include
two other regions, namely honey and laudanum (tincture of opium which
was used as a pain-killer in Muslim medicine).
According to Scotus, honey drops from the air on to flowers and herbs, and
is collected by bees. However, as pointed out by Thorndike [Thorndike,1965,
VI], Scotus distinguishes this natural variety from the artificial, produced,
as he thinks, by the bees digestive process. Scotus is amongst the first Europeans of the middle ages to make these observations and although by todays
standards, neither statements are accurate (flower nectar rather than honey
itself is indeed collected by bees in the honey sacks of their esophagi, and
the digestive enzymes of their gastric saliva play a critical role in the chemical production of honey), it represented a step ahead in his time 8 as it must
8. Thorndikes analysis [Thorndike,1965, VI] shows that Thomas of Cantimpre made
considerable use of Michaels work in his own writings on bees without giving much ac-

14

be reminded that many of the classic writings had been destroyed during
the Barbarian invasions. Aristotles zoological books on animals (Historia
animalium, De partibus animalium and De generatione animalium) would
not reappear in Europe until Scotus completed his own translations from the
Arabic to Latin some time before 1220 [Thorndike,1965]. Scotuss sources are
therefore primarily Muslim and indirectly Aristotelian.
3.3. Exhibit C : Background Knowledge concerning the Beehive and the
Reproduction System of Bees
A very essential piece of our conjecture, perhaps the most essential, is establishing that the Muslim culture of Bejaia could have generated the bee
family tree (Figure 3a). This requires the knowledge that
a bee drone results from an unfertilized egg.
Even with a lame numbering system (and we know the Muslims had better) :
once this notion is recognized, it is very easy to tabulate the family trees of
bee drones and obtain the Fibonacci sequence, as given in Table in 3a, to
any order.
Naturally, the important question is : did the culture of Bejaia (Bougie)
recognize parthenogenesis, i.e. asexual reproduction from an unfertilized egg ?
This seems like a challenging proposition especially as the genetics of bee
reproduction has only been worked out in the 20th century.
Although parthenogenesis (from a Greek word meaning virgin birth) is
claimed to be have been discovered in the 18th century by Charles Bonnet(17201793), asexual reproduction was recognized as early as by Aristotle himself,
who it must be noted, was an avid beekeeper. For that matter, apiculture can
be traced back even earlier to ancient Egypt around 2400 BCE [Crane,1983].
Although it is true that the science of genetics is recent, the art of apiculture has been around since the dawn of civilization and it is worthwhile
investigating just how developed it was by the time of Fibonacci.
knowledgment.

15

At this stage, we must open a large bracket as to what Aristotle himself knew
and wrote about bees in his book Historia animalium (History of animals).
His knowledge was considerable [Aristotle,1995,1-11] and some of his hypotheses and conclusions were fairly accurate for his time. Long before the invention of the microscope, Aristotle could correctly distinguish the 3-member
caste system of the bees : workers, drones and one ruler. He correctly described many aspects of the development of the bees in the immature stages.
He also wrote that bees had a keen olfactory sense [Aristotle,1995,1-11,
p.705, cit. 444b 7-12], as vindicated by the fact that bees use odor (chemical
trails) as a communication tool. However,
1. Aristotle misunderstood the gender of the ruler. He believed the ruler
was a male (king) and not a female (queen) 9 .
2. Aristotle knew that bees obtained material from flowers but he suggested that honey was actually deposited from the atmosphere (a belief incorporated into the writings of Scotus, as seen in the previous
section).
3. Aristotle misunderstood the reproduction system of bees.
Experienced beekeepers know very well that if a queen becomes old or afflicted with disease, she can no longer mate with drones. Furthermore, if a
queen dies, some workers become pseudo queens and lay eggs. However, as
these pseudo queens are unable to mate (only true queens can), the resulting eggs are also unfertilized. In either case, there is an increase in drones at
the expense of workers and the hive is in serious danger of self-destruction. A
balanced population made of a majority of workers and a sufficient minority
of drones is needed to maintain the dynamic equilibrium of the bee hive.
Aristotle was actually able to observe the resulting brood of drones appearing in these circumstances, and it is important to note that such an
observation was possible. However, he failed to draw the right conclusions.
Instead, he believed that bees do not give birth but fetched their young from
flowers (spontaneous generation). However, it is vital to note that Aristotle
also wrote [Aristotle,1995,1-11, p.872, 553a 32 553b 1] :
9. Aristotles erroneous notion that workers bees were male as stated in (1) was a
common belief in Europe by the time of Shakespeare as can be testified by his play,
Henry the Fourth, where some of the characters speak about bees as soldiers led by a
king [Shakespeare,1914, part2,Act IV, Scene 5].

16

Others again assert that these insects (bees) copulate, and that
drones are male and bees female.
indicating that the alternative notion of a female bee ruler existed at the
time of Aristotle, as can be testified by Greek mythology 10 . Moreover, the
idea of parthenogenesis is mentioned in a number of instances within Greek
mythology as in, for example, a particular version of the birth of the god
Hephaistos from Hera [Graves,1990, I :12.c] and the birth of the creature
Ladon from Mother Earth [Graves,1990, II :133.b].
In spite of Aristotles misinterpretations, one could see that even in his time,
reliable observations on bees were possible. In hindsight, we can see that
had it not been for his belief that the bee ruler had to be male, Aristotles
observations and knowledge of sexual and asexual reproduction could have
potentially lead him to the realisation that (male) bee drones resulted from
unfertilized eggs. All the needed ingredients for this realisation were present
within his writings. To reiterate :
Once the genders of the bee 3-member caste system are properly
sorted out and noting that :
1. Aristotles accurate observation of bee (drones) hatching
without fertilization
2. Aristotles knowledge of asexual reproduction,
one is inexorably guided to the realisation that the male bee
drones simply resulted from unfertilized eggs.
Given that Aristotle faced opposition to his beliefs by his contemporaries, it
becomes tantalizing to consider that someone could have made the realisation
long before the middle ages. We will return to this point later.
As a side issue, we also note that the occurrence of twins (used in Fibonaccis rabbit model) and parthenogenesis (appearing in bee reproduction) are
both natural forms of cloning. The mathematical connection between Fibonaccis rabbit model and the bee ancestry tree can therefore also been seen
10. Melissa was identified as the Queen Bee who annually killed her male consort (much
as the bee drone dies at copulation) [Graves,1990, I :7.3]. Her priestesses were called
Melissae. See also [Graves,1990, I :18.3] concerning Aphrodite Urania and the tearing out
of sexual organs of the male which is indeed descriptive of what happens to a bee drone
at the time of mating.

17

in this light 11 . Aristotle himself devoted considerable thought to the aspect

of twins in his History of animals Michael Scotus also appears to have been
fascinated by twins 12 .
From the third until the eleventh century, biology was essentially a Muslim
science, as the Roman empire crumbled under the onslaught of barbarian invasions. Muslims had discovered the works of Aristotle and Galen, translated
them into Arabic, studied and wrote commentaries about them. Al-Jahiz
(776-868 CE) (e.g. see [Zahoor,2000]), is a particularly noteworthy Arab biologist. In his Kitab al-hayawan (Book of Animals), in which he reveals
some influence from Aristotle, the author emphasizes the unity of nature and
recognizes relationships between different groups of organisms.
It is worth noting that all the pertinent apiculture notions of the Islamic
middle ages appear right in the Koran [Toufy,1968]. In a section of the Koran
Surah an-Nahl(16 : 68 69), which means The Bee, it is stated that
And your Lord inspired the bee, (Saying), Take for yourself
dwellings in hills, on trees and in what they (mankind) build.
Then eat of all fruits. From their bellies comes a drink of varied
colors, beneficial to men. This is a meaningful sign for thinkers.
In this extract, one recovers the origin of Scotuss mention of the role of the
bees digestive process in the making of honey. Obviously, Islamic beekeepers
of Fibonaccis time believing in this notion naturally concluded that the
yield of wax and honey depended as much (or more) on the number of bees,
than the actual amount of flowers or plant resources. This would justify a
mercantile impetus to understand the reproduction of bees.
What is vitally important is the gender of the bees as written in the original Arabic of this passage. In both verses, it uses female verbs in describing
the bee, in Arabic : fasluki and kuli (for the imperative eat). Also
the imperative take in this passage is the translation of the Arabic word
attakhidhi and of feminine form (Arabic verbs, unlike English ones, differentiate between the sexes). Like French, the Arabic female form is used
11. Ironically, it is claimed that around the 1940s, experimental biologists succeeded in
artificially stimulating rabbits to reproduce without fertilization. The rabbit problem can
then be rescued but of course, Fibonacci could not have been aware of this !
12. As can be seen, for example, his gynecological case study of Mary of Bologna
[Jacquart,1994, p.32].

18

when all those it refers to are female, whereas the masculine is used when a
group contains at least one male. Thus, in this passage, all the bee workers
are female and two of Aristotles major misinterpretations are addressed :
1. The Muslims realized the bee workers were female and the drones were
male.
2. The Muslims had a more accurate understanding of the actual production of honey by the bees by linking it to the bees digestive process (a
fact also mentioned by Scotus).
The above is confirmed by the apiculture writings of the Islamic scholars AlJahiz, and later by Al-Qazwn (died 1283 CE), Al-Damr (died 1405 CE)
and Al-Maqrz (died 1442 CE) [Toufy,1968]. This is already an improvement
on Aristotles writings on bees but the remaining question is : what is the
gender of the Queen ?
Ab
u Dhuayb, a Hudhayli 13 poet and contemporary of the Prophet Mohammed, wrote about the power of the queen in the bee city [Toufy,1968,
p.81] and one could think that the matter would be finally resolved. However,
in mitigating both the writings of Aristotle and the tenets of the Koran, while
the bee workers were definitely female, Al-Jahiz as well as most other Islamic
scholars would speak of a bee king even though authors appearing after
Al-Jahiz admitted the existence of a bee queen (and Al-Jahiz admitted
the existence of mothers). This king was called the yasub or stallion
of the bees and the prince of the (female) bee makers [Toufy,1968, p.62].
However, the romantic picture of the yasub given by Al-Jahiz would change
dramatically. By 1371 CE, Al-Damr would declare [Toufy,1968, p.68] that
when the honey supply became insufficient, the bee workers would eliminate
the king and the males. This is fairly accurate : in winter or when honey
is lacking, (female) worker bees eliminate (male) bee drones from the hive.
Furthermore, the historian Al-Maqrz collecting the common knowledge of
apiculture known in his time through the work of predecessors whose names
he would not given, finally declared :
Some claim that the males build their own cells but the males
do nothing. The work is done by the queens ; it is they who guide
(i.e. dominate) their kings and their males.
13. The Hudhayli were a tribe in the Arabian Peninsula.

19

This is also fairly accurate and given the patriarchal nature of Islam at that
time, quite an admission. The bee king still existed 14 but somewhere between the 9th century of Al-Jahiz and the end of the 14th century, there was
a complete transfer of power from the king to the queen. Moreover, already
by the time of Al-Qazwn, the description of bee morphology was remarkably
detailed including a full array of colors, shapes and other characteristics.
The reader may be understandably confused by the apparent contradictions
(and double-think) within these Islamic writings of bees. However, these can
be understood as follows. Most if not all cultures initially believed in a queen
bee rather than a king bee - this was merely natural : they clearly identified
the largest bee, say the ruler, whose size was much larger than that of
any other bee in the hive and with no apparent equal in stature of size or
importance within the hive, as simply the mother of all bees. As maternity
was perennially obvious and paternity perennially harder to establish or fully
understand, this was simply natural and universal. Aristotle would be the
first to write down mechanisms of sexual reproduction (as far as we know).
The prevalence of a queen bee can be confirmed by citations in various
cultures. To mention a few :
1. Greek mythology (prior to Aristotle) believed in the supremacy of a
queen bee.
2. A passage in the ancient Vedic writings of India called Prashnopanishada [Upanisads,1884/1963,2/15], dated at around 500 BCE, also mentions a queen bee.
3. The warrior-woman Deborah mentioned in the Old-Testament (or Jewish Tanach) was a ruler whose name meant queen bee.
Furthermore, the poetry of Ab
u Dhuayb confirms that people in the Arabian peninsula also believed in a queen bee up until the rise of Islam (and
quite likely into the 8th century). Initially, everyone believed in a queen
or mother bee but the inheritance of Aristotles notions (quite possibly
coupled to the patriarchal views of Arabic culture) prompted the Muslim
scholars to believe in a bee king instead. However, the growing input from
real life apiculture forced severe revisions on these notions. With a relax14. Many bee-keeping peasants in the Islamic world having preserved such notions from
generation to generation still have legends about a bee king.

20

ation from Muslim orthodox principle, these revisions would be eventually

admitted publicly as much as they were allowed to.
To summarize : from Aristotle to Al-Jahiz, one passes from a male majority populated to a female majority populated beehive and within a much
shorter time interval, from Al-Jahiz to his successors, one passes from a male
dominated to a female dominated beehive. How and why did this happen ?
The answer to this question cannot lie solely within these writings from the
Arabian peninsula. Wax production (a safe indication of increased honey
output) in the Arabian peninsula is not mentioned until the 15th century
by Al-Maqrz while the wax technology of Bejaia was well established in Fibonaccis time (between the 11th and 13th centuries). This provides a clear
indication that to answer this question one must look outside the Arabian
peninsula.
By the end of the 7th century, the spread of Islam in the Maghreb of North
Africa had almost been halted by a Jewish-Berber queen known as Kahena
[Beauguitte,1959] who lead a military coalition made of Numids, Moors, Jews
and Christians including Romans and Egyptian Copts. Viewed as a second
Deborah, she became the model and symbol of the fiercely independent
Amazigh women 15 . Although queen Kahena met defeat, remnants of this
culture (and its defiance) would still exist by the 12th century, and resistance
to Islamic protocols would continue as in, for example, cited violations of the
Islamic code for womans dress [Libas,1986,742-246]. None of the Almohad or
Almoravid Berber rulers recognized the authority of the Caliphs of Baghdad.
Some of the consequences of those cultural defiances and distinctiveness
remain to this day 16 . In many respects, the Berber culture of North Africa
was more advanced than that of the Arabian peninsula. Moreover, from the
10th century or so and onwards, the Arabs were losing their grip and Islam became fragmented. By the time of Leonardo de Pisa, communications
between the various realms of Islam were greatly reduced.
During the time of Fibonacci, the Maghreb acted as a corridor between
the cultures of Spanish Andalusia and those east of Egypt. Bee apiculture had
15. North African Berber tribe with a strong matriarchal element. Some associate the
women of these tribes to the myth of the Amazons.
16. For example, amongst the North African Berber tribes known as the Tuareg, it is
the men rather than the women who are veiled. .

21

Photograph

Jewelry dated de Djer, 1st Dynasty, Abydos

Crown Daisy with 21 petals

Fig. 4. Egyptian Djer Bracelet : modeled on flower rays. Courtesy in part

of Graham Oaten. Many drawings of this bracelet exist and in some 22,
rather than 21 petals (rays) are present.

22

started in Egypt and had spread westwards to North Africa and to Greece
via Crete [Graves,1990, I :82.6] and was far more developed than in Rome or
even Greece [Crane,1983].
3.3.1. Archaic Egypt
Since Amazigh bee apiculture has its roots in Ancient Egypt, the following question naturally arises : did the Egyptians know about the Fibonacci
numbers ? To this end, we mention a thread pointed out by Graham Oaten :
the artists of archaic Egypt observed and copied natures patterns to produce
some astonishing artifacts. In particular, we cite a gold bracelet [Kantor,1945],
found in the tomb of a king at Abydos, presumably belonging to a queen of
Zer (or Djer) and dating back to the first dynasty (around 3000 BCE). The
bracelet is currently in the Egyptian museum of Cairo. This bracelet is made
of a gold rosette centerpiece which resembles a modern watch like design.
The floral pattern of this rosette (presumably a daisy) has exactly 21 rays !
as shown in Figure 4 (21 being a Fibonacci number) 17 . Whether or not the
ancient Egyptians knew about the Fibonacci numbers or the Golden number
is an endlessly controversial subject. Some like Axel Hausmann claims the ancient Egyptians knew both the Fibonacci and Lucas numbers (same recursion
formula but different starting point) and he may well be right in arguing that
the Fibonacci numbers are embedded in the original structure of the Aachen
city hall (die Rathaus) built around the 9th century [Hausmann,1995] as a
residence for Charlemagne. However, most scholars still refuse to believe the
ancient Egyptians knew these numbers though recently C. Rossi hesitates
to draw any conclusions one way or the other [Rossi,2004]. We do not claim
that the ancient Egyptians figured out the Fibonacci numbers, but given their
universal presence in nature, it is quite possible that they recorded natural
phenomena exhibiting these numbers.
The link to Bejaia can be appreciated thanks to the research of Helene
Hagan [Hagan,2000] in the area of Amazigh history, folklore and etymology.
Indeed the notion of a queen bee goddess is prominent in the folklore of
17. We must point out that the handmade reproduction of this floral pattern in many a
reference is incorrect as it shows 22 and not 21 rays. However, a detailed examination of a
picture of the original bracelet (e.g. see [Smith,1981,p45m]) shows that the number of rays
is indeed 21, demonstrating how carefully faithful to nature were the artists of Archaic
Egypt.

23

Fig. 5. Barberini Exultet Roll : The Praise of The Bees. Biblioteca

Vaticana (Vatican City), Cod. Barb. Lat. 592.
Amazigh Berbers and can be traced to the archaic period of the pre-dynastic
age of Egypt. This is not surprising as Egypt was originally the source of
their beekeeping culture. This bee goddess is still worshipped within festivals in mountains of North Africa. There is every indication that the Kabyle
Amazigh apparently understood the 3-member bee cast. However the actual details and ramifications tied to this research (some of which is still
in progress) are too considerable to be addressed in detail here. This would
require at least an article in itself. However, we can mention a few identifications. For instance, the word tammnt meaning honey existed in the archaic Egyptian vocabulary and the very same word is used today throughout
Berber territory. This word in itself is very revealing because of its persistence
across millennia and thousands of miles. It is feminine, both in the ancient
Egyptian and the Amazigh languages.

24

3.3.2. Medieval Catholicism - Exultet Rolls

The notion of the virgin birth, which may be related to the observation that
male bee drones result from unfertilized eggs can also be found in the Koran,
in reference to the birth of Jesus. The acceptance of parthenogenesis helped
Muslims rationalize the birth of Jesus as something unusual but possible 18
without the divine Father Christians associated with Jesus himself 19 . Marcus Toledanus (Mark of Toledo), a colleague [Burnett,1994,2,101-126, p.104]
of Michael Scotus in Toledo Spain, made a translation of the Koran from the
arabic into Latin, and completed it around 1210 CE [Burnett,1994,2,101-126].
The subject of virgin birth the Exsultet or Exultet or Easter Proclamation, a hymn of praise sung before the Paschal (or Easter candle) during the
ritual known as the Easter Vigil. Made out around the 12th century, the
Exultet Roll of Salerno includes a section called The Praise of the Bees
describing fascinating images of beekeeping in the Middle Ages. The text
extols not only the marvelous skill of the bees who produce honey and wax
from flowers, but also their reputed chastity leading Catholic belief of the
Virgin Birth of Christ. Questions of the origin of the Exultet rolls are not
fully resolved [Kelly,1996, p.206]. One possibility believed by some is a tradition descending from Augustine, himself a native of North-Africa. Others
believe instead in a Byzantine influence dating no earlier than the 10th century. The Barberini Exlutet roll created in the Benedictine abbey of Monte
Cassino (Italy) and dated at around 1087 CE also features the praise of the
bees as shown in Figure 5.
3.4. Assembly of Evidence
At this stage, the conservative reader, in particular the mathematically
minded one may feel somewhat bombarded by this strange mixture of mathematics, magic and religious beliefs. However, as explained before, this is
a feature of Fibonaccis times 20 and we must try to follow the pattern of
18. With a bit of help from Allah, of course. Do note that contrary to Christian belief,
Muslims believed Jesus was fatherless.
19. Without a doubt, skeptics will claim this is rationalization or reinterpretation after the fact but that is not the point : the bottom-line is an issue on how soon that
rationalization is actually done.
20. If one insists, a modern view would argue that much of the thinking in the middle
ages was undisciplined. As mentioned before : scientific fact coexisted with misinformation,
superstition and religious beliefs.

25

thought (however questionable or faulty it may seem to be) that lead to

their results. To reiterate, so far we have the following known facts :
Fibonacci dedicates his Liber abaci to Michael Scotus even though the Emperor Frederick II was his patron (suggesting a debt of acknowledgement
of some kind towards Scotus).
The beeswax technology of Bejaia was well developed at that time and
Bejaia was a major exporter of wax via the Pisan Trade colony where
Fibonacci worked.
Our analysis (Exhibit C) suggests that the intellectual and mercantile culture in Bejaia had just reached the level of sophistication to be able to
work out and tabulate the ancestries of bees during the middle ages.
The bee ancestry model perfectly fits the Fibonacci sequence but the latter
is not representative of the true physical picture of rabbit reproduction by
which Fibonacci originally presented his sequence in Liber abaci.
It has been established that many of the algebraic problems in Fibonaccis
Liber abaci are (disguised) translations of Mathematical results of Muslim
scholars into Latin. These translations were made in Europe.
Scotus wrote about bee apiculture and his sources are Muslim and Aristotelian.
A major school of translation in Fibonaccis time was in Toledo in
Castille, Spain where Scotus was based before 1220. In particular, Scotus translated Aristotles works in zoology.
Essential notions of Muslim beekeepers during the middle ages are expressed in the Koran which was translated into Latin by Marcus Toledanus,
a colleague of Scotus.
Beeswax was in great demand for candles by the clergy. Michael Scotus
and Marcus Toledanus worked for the church as both were associated with
the Cathedral at Toledo [Burnett,1994,2,101-126].
We submit that all this may be more than an unusual coincidence and these
various facts might instead assemble into a puzzle whose image becomes
clear :
It is suggested here that the Fibonacci number sequence originated within the framework of a reproductive model from the
intellectual and mercantile culture of Bejaia in North Africa. It
is also suggested that this involved a collaborative effort between
himself and Michael Scotus (within the Toledan school of translation) in the light of translations from Muslim scholarship into
26

Latin as well as exchange of information.

Fibonacci naturally focused on mathematical aspects and Scotus was interested in the biological ones. In itself, this could well provide a plausible
origin of the Fibonacci sequence and some of the reasons behind Fibonaccis
dedication to Scotus in his Liber abaci.
3.5. Exhibit D - Fibonacci Numbers and Ancient Greece
An important implication in our
conjecture is that if the Greeks had
overcome Aristotles misinterpretations and recognized parthenogenesis, the Fibonacci numbers could
have potentially been derived within
the framework of a bee reproduction model as far back as in the
time of Aristotle. At first, this would
seem extraordinary as we have, so
far, found no direct written records
of such a discovery. We know the FiFig. 6. Plan of Theatre of Epidaurus bonacci sequence appears at a much
earlier date, in Indian mathematics,
in Argolis.
in connection with Sanskrit prosody
[Singh,1985,12-3,229-44, Knuth,2006,4,100, Knuth,1968,1,100] but in the
context of music. There is however architectural evidence in Greece (dating from the Hellenistic period) indicating that the ancient Greeks did
know the Fibonacci numbers after all. The evidence can be seen by visiting the site of the theater of Epidaurus in Argolis [Charitonidou,1978, p.3847],[Iakovidis,2001, p.130-133] (dating from the Hellinistic period) as illustrated in Figures 6, 7a and 7. Figure 6 shows the theater plan. The most
notable occurrence of Fibonacci numbers is that the theater consists of 34
rows and then an additional 21 (Figures 7a and 7b) built around the 2nd
century BCE. Both 21 and 34 are Fibonacci numbers. This aspect is emphasised by the Greek author (Dimitris Tsimpourakes) [Tsimpourakhs,1985,
p.231]. Interested in mathematics and architecture, he reasoned that the ancient Greeks tried to inject harmony into Greek architecture much along
the lines of what was already done with the Parthenon, the ratio between
the Fibonacci numbers 34 and 21 providing an approximation of the Golden
27

(a) Lower level : 34 rows of seats.

(b) Upper level : 21 rows of seats.

Fig. 7. Theatre of Epidaurus. Picture taken by T.C. Scott, December 2003.

number :

34
1.619
(11)
21
In a meticulous analysis by Arnim von Gerkan and Wolfgang Muller-Wiener
[Gerkan&Muller-Wiener,1961], extrapolation of the lines defining the aisles
joining the rows of seats of the theatre to its center reveals two back-to-back
Golden triangles, namely triangles balanced by the Golden number. These
are in the shape and together forming a diamond shape located just below
the center of a pentagon, as shown in Figure 8. This construction by Gerkan
takes into account slight irregularities and asymmetries likely caused by earth
tremors and ground movements over the last 2500 years. Each Golden triangle
is an isosceles triangle where the apex angle is :
 

1
=
= cos
= 36
(12)
2
5
and the bases angles are therefore each 72 . One may well consider this as a
message left by these ancient architects !
Tsimpourakas also cites, although less convincingly, the numbers 19, 15 and
21 embedded within a theater at Dodona in Epirus in northern Greece (9a

28

Fig. 8. Golden Triangles near Center of Theatre of Epidaurus.Extract from

[Gerkan&Muller-Wiener,1961].

29

(a) Plan.

(b) Picture.

Fig. 9. Theatre of Dodona.

and 9b), which may used to approximate the Golden number :
19 + 34 + 21
19 + 15
34
=
=
.
19 + 15
21
21

(13)

In this calculation, the Fibonacci numbers 21 and indirectly 34 = 19 + 15

appear. However, the case can be made a bit more convincing when examining
the plan of the theatre of Dodona. We see that ten radial staircases divided
the koilon, involving the first two sets of 19 and 15 rows, into 9 cunei (tiers
or wedges of seats). The upper part of 21 rows has intermediate staircases
and 18 cunei or tiers. It is also separated by the lower set of 34 rows by a
wider gangway. Thus the design of the theatre suggests that the first two
sets of 19 and 15 rows form a near continuous set. Though this might only
be coincidence, the ratio 19/15
is a very good approximation of the square
root of the Golden number, 1.27 . . .. This ratio is reminiscent of the
Egyptian triangle claimed to be embedded in the proportions of the Great
pyramid [Tsimpourakhs,1985] which is not surprising given the mythological
connection between Dodona and Egypt cited by the historian Herodotus. The
Dodona oracle was established by two priestesses from Thebes in Egypt, who
were abducted by Phoenicians, and turned into two black doves. These were
Peleiades who founded the sanctuary of Zeus Ammon in Libya located in the
oasis of Siwa and cited by Amazigh/Kabyle legends [Hagan,2000] and the
Oak-tree cult at Dodona.
As mentioned before, as testified by the work of Euclid and Pythagoras,
the Greeks knew about the Golden ratio (3) which can be expressed as the
30

root of :
2 = + 1

(14)

Next, if we multiply equation (14) by itself, we get :

3 = 2 + = ( + 1) + = 2 + 1

(15)

where 2 was replaced by the right side of (14). If we then multiply (14) by
2 and use (15),
4 = 3 + 2 = (2 + 1) + ( + 1) = 3 + 2

(16)

Similarly,
5
6
7
8
..
.

=
=
=
=

4 + 3
5 + 4
6 + 5
7 + 6
..
.

= (3 + 2) + (2 + 1) = 5 + 3
= (5 + 3) + (3 + 2) = 8 + 5
= (8 + 5) + (5 + 3) = 13 + 8
= (13 + 8) + (8 + 5) = 21 + 13

(17)

One can notice from the right hand side of these equations that n can be
written linearly in terms of and the Fibonacci numbers, as well as the
process of recursion itself. Admittedly the derivation is algebraic (something
the Muslims could have worked out) rather than geometric (and the Greeks
would have followed geometric arguments). The question is : how could the
Greeks have generated the Fibonacci numbers by geometrical means ? In the
following, we outline a geometrical derivation that answers this question.
By examining the Golden square [Bicknell&Hoggart,1969,7,73-91], one can
geometrically build up a relation as high as 4 . Since the discovery of irrational numbers by Hippasos 21 , a member of the Pythagorean school of mathematics (5th Century BCE), within the incommensurability or irrationality
of the diagonal in the pentagon or the pentagram (the very symbol of the
Pythagorean school itself), the Golden ratio plays an essential role. One
can see the incommensurability (irrationality) by looking at a pentagon and
the one formed by all its diagonals. As shown in Figure 10a, the ratio between
21. Legend has it that the disciples of Pythagoras were at sea and Hippasos was thrown
overboard for having the heresy of producing an element in the universe which denied
the Pythagorean doctrine that all phenomena in the universe can be reduced to whole
numbers or their ratios [Kline,1972/1990].

31

(a) Pentagon and Inner Pentagram.

(b) Recursive creation of pentagons.

Fig. 10. Pythagoras : Recursive use of pentagons naturally balanced by

Golden Number.
the diagonal of a pentagon and its side is equal to . By inserting more and
more diagonals into Figure 10a, we get the divisions of the pentagon into
smaller sections as shown in Figure 10b. Note that each larger (or smaller)
section is related by the ratio, so that a power series of the Golden ratio
raised to successively higher (or lower) powers is automatically generated :
, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , etc . . .In this manner, the derivations in (17) can find their
geometrical equivalent.
The easiest way to demonstrate this point is to begin by considering the
construction in Figure 11a. In this Figure, the triangle ABC is isosceles ; in
other words, the distances AB and AC are equal as are the two angles ABC
and ACB. The lengths AB and AC are equal to the Golden number and
the length BC is unity. The angles ABC and ACB are each equal to twice
the angle BAC. The sum of the three angles inside a triangle is equal to 180
degrees or radians ; consequently, the angle BAC is equal to 36 degrees
or 5 radians. The latter is expressed in modern terms but, nonetheless, as
mentioned by Heath [Heath,1931], the Pythagoreans knew that the sum of
the angles inside a triangle is equal to the sum of two right angles.

32

(a) First Triangle

(b) Second Triangle

33

We then extend the side BC until a point D, such that CD = . Since

AC = CD = , the triangle ACD is also isosceles by construction and the
angles CDA and DAC are as a result equal. Since CD = AB, we have :
CD
AB
=
BC
BC

(18)

The angles ACB and DCA are complementary and therefore their sum is
equal to 180 degrees or radians. The angle DAC is equal to 36 degrees by
construction. Thus the line AC bisects the angle BAD. Furthermore, since the
angles DAB and ABC are the same (and equal to 72 degrees for the modern
reader), the triangles ABC and DAB are similar since their respective angles
are equal. That is, the original isosceles 36 72 72 degree triangle ABC is
embedded in a second isosceles 36 72 72 triangle DAB and is similar to
it. Since the sides of two similar triangles that lie opposite to equal angles
are proportional,
AB
BD
=
(19)
BC
AB
By combining (18) and (19) and using AB = CD, we obtain
=

AB
BD
BD
CD
=
=
=
BC
BC
AB
CD

(20)

If we let BC = 1, then CD = , since CD/BC = and BD = BC + CD =

1 + . Substitution of the values for BD and CD in 20 yields :

1+
=
1

i.e. 2 = + 1

(21)

This is the equation whose positive root defines the Golden ratio.
We now repeat this exercise, this time by taking the outer isosceles triangle
DAB and making it play the role of the first isosceles triangle ABC (Figure
11b). Within the new isosceles triangle ABC, AB = AC = 2 = + 1
and BC = . In this triangle we now extend the side BC, which is opposite
to the angle that is equal to , by a length CD equal to 2 = + 1. Since
the angles of Figure 11b are equal to those in Figure 11a, a similar analysis
leads to the same proportions as expressed in equations (16) and (17). In
particular, generalizing from equation (20),
BD = BC + CD = CD
34

(22)

By construction of the outer isosceles triangle, the total length BD is given

by
BD = BC + CD = + ( + 1) = 2 + 1
(23)
However, from equation (22), the length BD satisfies
BD = CD = (2 ) = 3

(24)

BD = 3 = 2 + 1

(25)

and consequently
which is indeed equation (15).
We now iterate once again (Figure 11c). In the new isosceles triangle
ABC, AB = AC = 3 = 2 + 1 and BC = 2 = + 1. We repeat
our exercise and draw a line from point C to point D, this time of distance
CD = 3 = 2 + 1. In this case, use of equation (22) yields
BD = CD = (3 ) = 4

(26)

Further, from the construction of the outer isosceles triangle

BD = BC + CD = ( + 1) + (2 + 1) = 3 + 2

(27)

and consequently
BD = 4 = 3 + 2

(28)

which is indeed equation (16). The above identity has been obtained as a
result of two iterations. Repeating this exercise once more yields
BD = 5 = 5 + 3

(29)

A further repetition of the geometrical construction yields

BD = 6 = 8 + 5

(30)

as in (17). The Fibonacci numbers 21 and 34 are now within the reach of
three more iterations. Thus, starting with an isosceles triangle embedding
the Golden ratio, a recursive embedding of isosceles triangles into larger and
similar isosceles triangles reproduces the results obtained from the algebraic
derivation of the previous subsection. This approach is known as the Gnomon
and it is believed that Pythagoreans knew how to apply this approach to
isosceles triangles [Thompson,1992, p.761-763]. It can be shown that the recursive embedding of these isosceles triangles yields a logarithmic spiral, but
this falls outside the scope of the current investigation.
35

Note that the recursion adopted so far is based on the construction of larger
triangles. A recursion in a backwards direction, i.e. taking the outer triangle of
Figure 11a and bisecting the angle DAB to create the inner isosceles triangle
CAB, could have also been followed. An examination in particular of the
pentagon and the smaller sections caused by the divisions of Figure 11b
shows that the major building blocks of these sections are indeed triangles.
The type of analysis that we have followed here could therefore have been
applied to these progressively smaller sections. Note that the pentagram was
the very symbol of the school of Pythagoras which, in addition to being a
mathematical school of thought, was also a mystical and secret society. Not
surprisingly, the use of this symbol throughout the centuries has often been
associated with mysticism and witchcraft.
Our geometric derivation makes use of knowledge contained within Book IV
of Euclids elements. According to Heath [Heath,1956,2] (see in particular the
comments in relation to propositions 9 and 10), this knowledge can be traced
to the school of Pythagoras and therefore comfortably dates before the construction of the theatre at Epidaurus. Ancient Greek mathematicians were
always interested in relations between sections satisfying aesthetic criteria
and the role of the Golden ratio is central within this context. We therefore claim that the geometrical construction presented in this subsection was
known to them. To see incommensurability, Greek mathematics was always
interested in relations between sections. In other words, very often Greek
mathematicians tried to approximate irrational numbers with rational numbers. Thus, the equations in (17) must have been known to them. These can
be expressed in the form of a recurrence relation :
n = an + bn

(31)

where an and bn are integers. Ancient Greek Mathematicians most probably

only studied the first few members of the Fibonacci sequence, but the theater
in Epidaurus indicates they were aware of the 8th power, i.e. 34 and judging
from information embedded in the stones, most probably even reached the
10th power (quite an achievement !). In general, it is easy to prove that an and
bn are the Fibonacci numbers, because multiplication of (14) by n gives :
n+2 = n+1 + n

(32)

which combined with (31) gives the Fibonacci recursion formula for an and bn ,
namely an+2 = an+1 + an and similarly for bn . This completes the proof based
36

on our modernized version of what the Greeks were capable of demonstrating.

Therefore, we can be confident that the ancient Greeks already knew about
Fibonacci numbers and this knowledge could well have been transmitted to
the Muslims. In hindsight, this is not surprising : both knew the Golden ratio
and from there, it was merely a matter of time, before stumbling onto the
Fibonacci sequence. However, we must not forget that our last demonstration
concerning Greek thought, was geometrical. The Fibonacci numbers as Fibonacci himself presented them, derived from a biological reproductive model
- and as we claim - were also discovered by him through such a model. This
is closer to the botanical motifs in ancient Egyptian jewelry mentioned before. At any rate, given the ubiquitous nature of the Fibonacci numbers and
the Muslim knowledge of algebra, where the unknown x of any equation
can be disconnected from a geometrical interpretation and become a number
representing anything, it is plausible that the intellectual elite of Bejaia was
aware of some terms at least in the Fibonacci sequence in the context of bee
ancestry and reproduction considering the obvious mercantile impetus of bee
apiculture.
4. Conclusions
So far, we have presented a reasonable conjecture as to the origin of the
Fibonacci numbers that fits the known historical and mathematical facts.
The conjecture states that Fibonacci derived the sequence directly from the
intellectual and commercial culture of Bejaia where he was stationed in his
formative years prior to 1202 CE. This conjecture further suggests a collaboration with some members of the Toledan school of translation, in particular Michael Scotus to whom the revised edition of his Liber abaci was dedicated and whose writings and translations contained significant traces of this
collaboration. Furthermore, Fibonaccis dedication could also have acted in
assuring approval of Fibonaccis book in Christian Europe as Michael Scotus,
at that time, was well connected with the papal authorities [Thorndike,1965,
p.1]. It was only later that Scotus would be labeled as a wizard. In view of the
historical and mathematical data presented here, this conjecture is plausible.
From a historical and chronological point of view, there is an issue concerning how and when Scotus and Fibonacci first met for this collaboration to
37

materialize. This discussion lies outside the score of this investigation. However, this is a minor point as one of the most significant criticisms against this
conjecture is the skepticism concerning the possibility that the inhabitants of
Bejaia could have worked out the ancestries of bees during the middle-ages.
The skepticism is understandable as the subject of genetics has only been
developed within the 19th and 20th centuries. To address this issue, we must
point out that although the modern science of genetics fully explains the bee
ancestries, it is not actually necessary to resort to this in order to understand the ancestry of bees. The observations Aristotle made over 2000 years
ago, concerning bee apiculture and bee sexual reproduction coupled with the
recognition of the sexes associated with a (matriarchal) 3-member bee caste
system are sufficient to realize that a bee drone results from an unfertilized
egg. This in turn allows one to tabulate the bee ancestries and obtain the
Fibonacci sequence. From a graph theory point of view, this process is sufficient to establish the relationships between the tree nodes of the bee family
tree of Figure 3b.
In hindsight, what is conjectured in this article is reasonable. Given the
ubiquitous nature of the Fibonacci numbers within nature, it would not have
been surprising for someone to observe their presence long before Leonardo
de Pisa himself, notwithstanding the issue of written documents discarded
or lost over time. The gold bracelet found in the tomb of a king at Abydos
(Figure 4) testifies to this fact. Evidence surrounding the theater of Epidaurus in which Fibonacci numbers are embedded strongly suggests that
Ancient Greeks were also aware of them. These numbers also derive, as we
have demonsrated, from mathematical manipulations accessible to Ancient
Greeks. The Golden number and the Fibonacci sequence are mathematical entities inextricably linked and knowledge of one eventually leads to the
other. We have mentioned four different locations and periods in which awareness of at least some of the Fibonacci numbers is manifested. In descending
order of certainty, we mentioned :
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ancient India around 500 BCE in music.

Bejaia in Algeria around 1200 CE in bee apiculture.
Ancient Greece around the 2nd century BCE in architecture.
Archaic Egypt during the 1st dynasty, around 3000 BCE in botanical
motifs for jewelry.

38

We do not claim that knowledge of members of the Fibonacci numbers at

any of these four locations necessarily derived from any of the other locations, only that the ubiquitous nature of the Fibonacci sequence allows their
discovery in a variety of independent locations at different times and within
different contexts. Knowledge of the bee ancestries in Bejaia alone was sufficient for their discovery by Leonardo de Pisa.
We now come full circle to the current of ideas that influence Kepler in the
formulation of Keplers laws : Pythagorean mathematics with its knowledge
of the Golden number and the numbers ubiquitous to nature, art and music
and embedded in Ancient Greek structures such as the theater of Epidaurus,
rediscovered by Fibonacci though his famous rabbit reproduction model. This
knowledge was likely transmitted via the corridor of goods, services and ideas
through North-Africa to Europe in the middle-ages. We argue in this paper
that in the fertile environment generated by this knowledge, a reproductive
model reflecting the bee family trees may well have directly influenced
Leonardo de Pisa thus precipitating the generation of the Fibonacci sequence.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank Graham Oaten for his invaluable help and contributions which allowed this article to be made, Arne L
uchow of RWTHAachen University, Johannes Grotendorst and Bernhard Steffen (Institute for
Advanced Simulation, J
ulich Supercomputing Centre), and Therani Sudarshan (Freelance Software Consultants). We would also like to thank Professor
Abdelkader Necer of the University of Limoges for helpful insights. Special
thanks to Frederick Gould, Sue Peppiat, Veronique Reynier, Silke Ackermann, Charles Burnett, Michel Beggh, Anthony Waterman, Anthony Pym,
Marc Rybowicz, Carlos Klimann, Ron Knott, John Delos, Kent Nickerson,
Leonard Bradfield, Andrew Zador, David Harper, Greg Fee, Axel Hausmann,
Philippe DeGroot of INRIA-Lorraine and Prue Davison for their invaluable
help and fruitful discussions. Finally, T.C. Scott would like to thank the
members of the Maison des Sciences de lHomme for allowing him access to
their library in Paris.
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