For over 2000 years, mathematics has evolved from practical applications to a field of rigorous inquiry and back again. Early civilizations developed basic arithmetic and geometry to solve practical problems. The Greeks were first to study mathematics with a philosophical spirit, seeking inherent truths. Their work in geometry, algebra, and other areas remains valid today. Over centuries, mathematics spread across cultures through trade, exploration, and scholarship. It has grown increasingly specialized while also finding new applications, aided by computers. Today, mathematics is more valuable than ever as a way of understanding both natural and human systems through abstraction and modeling.