Quyan Numbers

The Chosen use a number system inherited from the Quyans. It is a vigesimal, or base-20, system [that is, it has distinct numerals from 1-19] and is, further, positional, having a zero [so that there is a units position, a ’20s’, a ‘400s’, an ‘8000s’, a ‘160000s’ and so on…]

Having a passion for the Maya, I adopted their numbering system for my books. As far as I know, the Maya are the only people other than the Hindus to have developed the zero—an invention that is essential for a positional numbering system. The symbol used by the Quyans for zero differs from the Mayan in that it represents a broken cistern rather than a seashell. The broken cistern indicates emptiness—presumably that too was the rationale behind the Mayan use of a seashell.

The diagram above shows the number 2562264 written in Quyan numerals: 16, 0, 5, 13, 4 read from right to left.

The diagram above shows the number 0.8007075 written in Quyan fractions: 16, 0, 5, 13, 4 read from left to right.

Quyan numbers can be written vertically—with the units at the bottom.