Several millennia after their creation, Roman numerals may seem obsolete but they are still used in everyday life. To designate the time in certain watch faces, to number the acts of a play, the different sequels of a film or to differentiate the editions of the Super Bowl.
In the center of the Italian peninsula, between the ninth and first centuries BC, Etruscan shepherds used a rather peculiar stick to count their cattle. They were scratched with several notches. At each sheep, the shepherd slid his finger and the symbol on which he stopped corresponded to the number of sheep.
To make it easier to read, these shepherds created different symbols such as the V; for VII is easier to read than IIIIIII. Later, the Romans standardized Etruscan symbols to form the numbers we know today, sometimes borrowing letters from the Latin alphabet.
Units, dozens, hundreds, thousands.... It's up to you
After this little history lesson, let's get into practice! We selected 20 numbers, written in Roman numerals. Can you find their modern translation?
What result did you get? If you think your friends or loved ones can do better, don't hesitate to let them discover this quiz!