Chapter 1
The notches on the stick
Chapter 2
The rules of the Roman road
Chapter 3
Doing math without a pen
Chapter 4
The modern survival guide
YOUR GOAL
Master of Decoding the secret math of Roman letters
Ch 2 · The rules of the Roman road
sonia Roman Road Milestones
A thousand paces, Carved in stone, Let the numerals guide you home!
sonia A traditional clock face displaying the Roman numeral IIII opposite the VIII symbol
Fun Fact
The clockwork exception: Many vintage clocks use IIII instead of IV for four to maintain perfect visual symmetry with the VIII on the other side.
Glossary
milestone (noun)
A stone marker set up on a road to show the distance in miles to or from a place. Romans carved Roman numerals on these stone pillars along the Appian Way starting in 250 BC.
A stone marker set up on a road to show the distance in miles to or from a place. Romans carved Roman numerals on these stone pillars along the Appian Way starting in 250 BC.
Quiz
What is the maximum number you can write using standard Roman numerals without a vinculum?
Quiz
What is the name of the horizontal line drawn over a Roman numeral to multiply its value by 1,000?
Quiz
Which Roman numeral is commonly written as IIII instead of IV on vintage clock faces?
Quiz
What Latin word did the Romans use when they needed to express the concept of zero in written records?