In the Middle Ages, it was common to see numbers over 4,000 expressed in Roman numerals using a vinculum line above the letters. This line represented a multiple of 1,000, and could cover the whole or just the beginning part of a Roman numeral expression. Even if he did think about the number 24,000, if he were to write it down somewhere it would be far simpler to write "VI" rather than numerals equivalent to 24,000! Gerard Ter Borch (1673): Portrait of Cornelis de Graef. Date on painting: "Out. XXIIII Jaer. // M. DC. LXXIIII". The pervasive use of Roman numerals in such varied domains underscores the Roman Empire's multifaceted influence. It wasn't just about conquests and territorial expansion; it was about embedding a culture, a way of life, and a system of understanding the world, of which their numerical notation was a vital part.

Della Mirandola, Pico (1486). Conclusiones sive Theses DCCCC[ Conclusions, or 900 Theses] (in Latin). The Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League (e.g. Super Bowl XLII; Super Bowl 50 was a one-time exception [67]). Claridge, Amanda (1998). Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (First ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-288003-1.

A number of numeral systems are developed for large numbers that cannot be shown with I, V, X, L, C, D and M. The use of Roman numerals in the Super Bowl has also sparked interest in the history and significance of these ancient numerical symbols. While the use of Roman numerals in the Super Bowl may seem like a small detail, it has become an important part of the game's identity. One of the most similar numbering systems to that used by the Romans was in use by the Etruscans. This will come as no surprise, as the Etruscan civilization covered much of northern Italy, and had a significant impact upon the development of the Romans to the south. The highest number that can be expressed in pure Roman numeral form is 3,999 which is written as MMMCMXCIX. Numerals in documents and inscriptions from the Middle Ages sometimes include additional symbols, which today are called "medieval Roman numerals". Some simply substitute another letter for the standard one (such as " A" for " V", or " Q" for " D"), while others serve as abbreviations for compound numerals (" O" for " XI", or " F" for " XL"). Although they are still listed today in some dictionaries, they are long out of use. [63]

In some cases, these tablets go to as early as 1600 BC. One of them is YBC 7289. This proves the Pythagoreantheorem. Roman numerals are to be read from right to left. RIB 2208. Distance Slab of the Sixth Legion". Roman Inscriptions in Britain . Retrieved 11 November 2020. The two conventions could be mixed in the same document or inscription, even in the same numeral. For example, on the numbered gates to the Colosseum, IIII is systematically used instead of IV, but subtractive notation is used for XL; consequently, gate 44 is labelled XLIIII. [15] [16] The vinculum is a horizontal line used in mathematics above or below a value to indicate a certain purpose, such as a grouping or repeating decimal value. In modern day math it is often replaced by the use of parentheses.

The base "Roman fraction" is S, indicating 1⁄ 2. The use of S (as in VIIS to indicate 7 1⁄ 2) is attested in some ancient inscriptions [45] and also in the now rare apothecaries' system (usually in the form SS): [44] but while Roman numerals for whole numbers are essentially decimal, S does not correspond to 5⁄ 10, as one might expect, but 6⁄ 12. Amongst all of the letters and numbers currently swirling around your head as you try and make sense of this ancient numbering system, you may or may not have noticed that nowhere has there been a mention of zero. Since the Middle Ages, a " j" has sometimes been substituted for the final " i" of a "lower-case" Roman numeral, such as " iij" for 3 or " vij" for 7. This " j" can be considered a swash variant of " i". Into the early 20th century, the use of a final " j" was still sometimes used in medical prescriptions to prevent tampering with or misinterpretation of a number after it was written. [62] Tentzel, Wilhelm Ernst (1700). Saxonia Nvmismatica: Das ist: Die Historie Des Durchlauchtigsten... (in German). p.26.

Having these letters such as V and X for 5 and 10 is important, otherwise a number such as 24 would be expressed by having to write 24 individuals "I" letters! Huge, total numbers. But whilst the ancient Romans did not have much to think about in such numbers (unless they thought about the number of grains of sand on a beach or something), it is quite likely that they thought of numbers in terms of groups rather than as actual total numbers like we do.

Rome was founded sometime between 850 and 750 BC. At the time, the region was inhabited by diverse populations of which the Etruscans were the most advanced. The ancient Romans themselves admitted that the basis of much of their civilization was Etruscan. Rome itself was located next to the southern edge of the Etruscan domain, which covered a large part of north-central Italy. In law, Roman numerals are commonly used to help organize legal codes as part of an alphanumeric outline.