A mathematical analysis appearing in the Annals of the History of Computing has uncovered evidence of recursive algorithmic logic within the geometric constructions of the 700 BCE Manava Sulba Sutra. The study demonstrates that the ritual guidelines for building complex fire altars were actually encoded methods for large-number factorization and the derivation of irrational roots.
Researchers used computer models to simulate the geometric steps described in the text, finding that they form a consistent algorithmic sequence capable of approximating the square root of two to five decimal places. This finding redefines the Sulba Sutras as not just ritual manuals, but as foundational texts in the history of computational mathematics.