Magic Squares

Magic squares are rather old.The first known magic square was discovered in China on a scroll of the river Loh. It was called Loh-Shu. The invention of the scroll was attributed to Fuh-Hi, the mythical founder of the Chinese civilisation, who lived 2858-2738 B.C. All the odd numbers, the yang symbols, represented the emblem of heaven. All the even numbers, the yin symbols, represented the symbols of earth.

Another famous historical magic square is by Albrecht Duerer, who was a German painter, engraver and woodcut designer. The square was incorporated into his famous engraving Melancholia. The bottom row shows the year of creation 1514 in the center cells.