Three twin sciences, born with the fi rst census Associate Professor Gheorghe SĂVOIU, Ph.D.
[email protected] Lecturer Mariana BĂNUŢĂ, Ph.D.
[email protected] Lecturer Mihaela GADOIU, Ph.D.
[email protected] University of Piteşti, Faculty of Economic Sciences Abstract: The hyphotesis of this paper is based on the idea that three sciences have been born during the same event or ancient period: the fi rst census. These three memorable sciences are statistics, demography and accountancy. This paper presents an brief analysis of the common history of these three sciences. The results of this analysis represents the basis for a comparative study in the future about the common moments for the multidisciplinary investigations such as the census. Keywords: alphabet, census, statistics, demography, accountancy. JEL classifi cation: C46, E16, J11, H83, N33. 1. Introduction The occurrence of proto-statistics or old statistics and of the fi rst specifi c data and information are related to the census as a periodic set of state records concerning the population (subsequently defi ned by Romans as census or by periodic resumption census), land, agriculture, ships built, navigation, and have an attested oldness of approximately fi ve to six thousand years. Ancient civilizations from the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Chinese, and Greek one to the Roman Empire, as well as the whole Middle Ages do not indicate the systematization of concepts, principles, methods, techniques and instruments, able to prove the scientifi c nature of statistics. Between the fi rst Roman “census”, from the time of King Servius Tullius (6th century b.C.) and the English cadastre, performed between 1083 and 1086, in the time of William the Conqueror, no clear idea about the independent nature of statistics as a science appears.