There is a long-standing tradition in mathematics education to look to history to inform instruction. An historical analysis of the genesis of a mathematical idea offers insight into: (i) the contexts that give rise to a need for a mathematical construct; (ii) the ways in which available tools might shape the development of that mathematical idea; and (iii) ways in which students might make sense of an idea. In this paper, I discuss historic contexts that gave rise to considerations of linear systems of equations and their solutions, as well as implications for instruction and instructional design.