Roman Numerals

Roman numerals are an ancient numbering system that originated in <a href="/article/ancient-rome">Ancient Rome</a>, using letters from the Latin alphabet to represent numbers. They work on both an additive principle, where symbols are summed, and a subtractive principle, where a smaller symbol before a larger one indicates subtraction. Though largely replaced by the Hindu-Arabic system, they are still seen today on clocks, monuments, and in copyright dates.