# Were there once other forms of Roman Numerals?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-once-other-forms-of-roman-numerals/44060>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 5, 2000, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-once-other-forms-of-roman-numerals/44060 "2000-12-05T02:28:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![User\_10K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@User\_10K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/User_10K)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-once-other-forms-of-roman-numerals/44060/1 "2000-12-05T02:28:46Z")

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I read somewhere that other letters were used by the Greeks and early Romans before the ones we know from movie copyrights.

I’m talking about letters other than I V L C D M and formats other than IX = 9 and XI =6.

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**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-once-other-forms-of-roman-numerals/44060/2 "2000-12-05T02:47:16Z")

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Yep.

[Roman numerals–history and use](http://www.deadline.demon.co.uk/roman/intro.htm)

(This site was also referred to in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=44745), which also links to [one of Cecil’s columns](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_375.html).)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![User\_10K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@User\_10K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/User_10K)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-once-other-forms-of-roman-numerals/44060/3 "2000-12-05T03:29:54Z")

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Thank you kind Sir! That was right on the money.

> [@](#):
>
> The strict rules about Roman numerals have been used only relatively recently. In earlier periods, although the subtractive principle was used, it seems that it was an alternative rather than compulsory and other forms such as VIIII for 9 and even IIXX for 18 are found. At any date exceptions can be found, as these four examples from different periods and all in Rome itself, show. . . .