7. Arabs did not invent the Arabic Numerical system used in the west today.
The modern western numerical system is often referred to as the Arabic system because it is widely believed to have originated from Arabic numerals. However, the system should more correctly be known as the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, for it developed in India- not the Middle East. Symbols resembling western numerals can be found dating to as early as the third century BC in Indian sources such as the Ashoka inscriptions. Trade with India probably facilitated the adoption of the Hindu system in North Africa and the Middle East, which in its turn found its way to Europe.