not long ago there was an article about Leibniz inspiration through geomancy. Which was also used for ages by humans, albeit not in a mathematical rigor setting.

That led me to some rant, I think most of the core of mathematics is absolutely natural to the layman of any place in space and time. Simplicity and regularity is quite obvious to any body, but the education systems blurs that off mathematics. Only advanced research can reconnect the two sadly.