I thought about this for quite a bit, because I am reading about a relevant subject. While I don't know yet who first discovered this pattern --I do know that there has been perennial debate between those propose numbers are simply quantitative or possess a qualitative essence which reflects the nature of reality. I have so much more to read on this subject but this academic paper is a good entry into the discussion:

For the Pythagoreans,
numbers were principles that gave the universe its structure, like a “living, qualitative reality which must be approached in an experimental manner.”10
Numbers were not used as inert signs for measuring magnitudes but were legitimately discovered, like any other natural phenomenon. As
abstract principles, numbers were a way for humans to apprehend an invisible and intangible order of reality.