The future of theoretical mathematics was here and unstoppable! The Greeks advanced the practice of mathematics beyond the concept that numbers must represent actual objects and began to think about numbers as hypothetical ideas. Most notability though, it was the Greeks who sought to turn the abstractions of nature into rules that could guide their lives. The original scratches look like the first three Roman numerals 1, 11, and 111. The only added sophistication in the Roman numbering system was the addition of new symbols for higher values.īut the language of mathematics began long before the Romans and was influenced by many great civilizations such as the Sumerians and Egyptians. Interestingly, Roman numerals are very similar to these first bone marking.
The first evidence of counting comes from the Ishango Bone found near the headwaters of the Nile River and estimated to be 20,000 years old. As with all powerful nations, the Romans had their own customary systems. This is a story about Roman Customary Numerals.Īs a testament to the power of mathematics, it should be mentioned that numbers were the first written language yes long before words were ever written our ancestors were using tally marks on sticks and bones to represent the concept of one. Let’s take a quick jump back into history, and we are not taking about the attempt at US-wide metrication during the Carter administration, we’re going back many more years….įor over two thousand years, the Roman Empire was unquestionably the greatest superpower the world had ever known. Therefore, we thought it might be fun to take a more historical perspective than a practical one. At Team Metric we focus a great deal on the changes in post-secondary STEM educational practices and the many occupational paths which make intuitively thinking in U.S customary units (inch-pound units) an institutionalized cognitive disadvantage to solely US children.