Transmission of mathematical ideas
A few notes here from G.G.Joseph's excellent book, The Crest of the Peacock, specifically looking at evidence for transmission of mathematical knowledge and number systems.
Babylonian origins
See p.111 for first example of Diophantine technique used by Babylonians.
The second example is a cuneiform tablet, catalogued as Plimpton 322. It is not a trigonometrical table but is evidence for the methodical production of Pythagorean triples. We are all familiar with the (3,4,5) triangle and its properties, (that 32+42=52), but not everybody will be aware that there are many more such combinations, infinitely many in fact. They are known as Pythagorean triples. Examples include (7,24,25) and (96,110,146).
With the help of some fairly elementary algebra, it is possible to generate triples using a formula.
This method of generating integral Pythagorean triples is usually attributed to Diophantus (c …