The introduction of symbols for numbers is an event lost in prehistory, but the earliest known number symbols, in the form of simple grooves and scratches on bones and stones, date back 20, 000 years or more
Nevertheless, since it was not until 5, 500 years ago that systematic methods for writing numerals were invented, it was only then that any sort of computation became possible
Computation of any sort required a systematic method for writing numerals.