Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Chapters_on_the_Mathematical_Art http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Chapters_on_the_Mathem... and GE was known to

Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Chapters_on_the_Mathematical_Art http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Chapters_on_the_Mathem... and GE was known to Newton, so it wasn't 19th century even in the west (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaussian_elimination#History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaussian_elimination#History)