>>14407181I am not sure what you mean. If you mean historically, it all begins with any civilization. If you mean academically (i.e. what should you start with) numbers and algebra are the keys to everything (Most math fields try to describe themselves in some way in terms of algebraic structures).
There is not really a 'thorough' work on math. Just texts going through the set and problems of a given field. There are many different flavors of these texts as well.
Math is pretty unique in that great men and personalities quickly get washed away. This is why many mathematicians try to establish their name in their theorems.
People don't really read historic papers by mathematicians often (unless they're doing it for fun) because there is no room for interpretation in math. Gaining understanding through a textbook is equivalent to gaining understanding through the original paper (and oftentimes the textbook is more easily digestible presentation). This is why someone can easily recommend you 5+ textbooks on a given field in math. None of these textbooks are particularly better than the other, it's just whichever helps you understand the math best is best for you.
>>14407381>Plato's Timeaus and Theaetetus Sort of, sort of not. I would say from a philosophical standpoint yes, but I wouldn't call that the 'start'.
The start of math has always been the same. People see a repeated pattern in problems that are similar, but not quite exactly the same such as building, and realize there is some underlying symmetry or rule. It's why basically every civilization mastered the Pythagorean theorem (even if they didn't have a 'proof' for it).
