Babylonian algebra

How could one state a general mathematical principle in a time before the development of algebra and algebraic notation?

For something like graph theory, it seems intuitive to state principles, as principles come from small examples that we can easily draw and visualize. Then we draw statements from those examples and try to generalize the rule to other things we can visualize... In that way, something like graph theory seems less inhibited by the way we are able to describe math today. 

For example, Euler's Bridges of Konigsberg, we see the problem before the formalization has taken place, so bridges and portions of the city represent the real life reflection before the formalization, and the results are logical proofs written in language.

In this way, I think that talking about the problem at hand through a situation and drawing logical conclusions is a natural starting point, and we like to generalize because we are pattern seeking people and we want to know more knowledge about the natural occurring systems that we see. I don't think that generalizations are all of "Math", but just a continuation of the natural observations and systems that we see.

EDIT:: 

It is hard to think that math is all about generalizations and abstractions. We do math to make sense of the world, and find solutions to problems. When most of the times when people talk about math, they do so in this applied sense. It mostly comes up in our day to day when doing some sort of counting, estimating, reasoning, and so on. Generalizations and abstractions are a bulk of what we study now because it is useful to know it in a form that allows you to reach different fields in a common language.

To clarify the first part, I think that stating a general mathematical principle is a to define a problem in diagrams and language, and the generality comes from how similar the problem is to another problem. We have looked at the word problems from class, and they all seem to be delivered in this manner, like the problems of the frustum and the 7 mules problem which leads me to think that that is how Math generalized in the past.