You don't appreciate zero until you try to invent a positional number system. In the past, when they used positional system they would often just leave a blank

You don't appreciate zero until you try to invent a positional number system. In the past, when they used positional system they would often just leave a blank spot in the place of zero. This inevitably leads to errors. Is that two numbers or one number with zero between? How do you distinguish between 1 and 10? Source: A popular science book "The history of numbers or the history of a great discovery" (Georges Ifrah) Contains some fun chapters like "How to count if you can't count". For example if natives in a stereotypical jungle want to count numbers to a holiday. They memorize a sequence of items, for example body parts: little finger of one hand, palm, wrist, forearm, arm, shoulder, neck.... then they measure once and conclude one needs to wait as many days as there are from the little finger on left hand to, say, navel.