The concept of a function was first introduced in the 17th century as a result of the development of analytic geometry and calculus. It evolved over time, with a focus on coherence and generality. The idea had been previously explored in natural philosophy in the 14th century, but it wasn't until the work of Rene Descartes in the 17th century that it was defined more precisely. The function concept continued to evolve and change in meaning over the course of 4000 years, with 300 years of anticipations before it was fully established. It is considered one of the fundamental concepts of modern mathematics.