From PeselyG@apsu.edu Sun Mar 3 16:24:49 2002 Received: from mailscan1.cac.washington.edu (mailscan1.cac.washington.edu [140.142.32.16]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.12.1+UW01.12/8.12.1+UW02.01) with SMTP id g240ObnJ090722 for ; Sun, 3 Mar 2002 16:24:37 -0800 Received: FROM mxu4.u.washington.edu BY mailscan1.cac.washington.edu ; Sun Mar 03 16:24:36 2002 -0800 Received: from exchange.apsu.edu (exchange.apsu.edu [198.146.56.24]) by mxu4.u.washington.edu (8.12.1+UW01.12/8.12.1+UW02.01) with ESMTP id g240OZIe014932 for ; Sun, 3 Mar 2002 16:24:36 -0800 Received: by exchange.apsu.edu with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) id ; Sun, 3 Mar 2002 18:23:21 -0600 Message-ID: <8C1D549B4324D51181010090277A49DE163F25@exchange.apsu.edu> From: "Pesely, George" To: "'classics@u.washington.edu'" Subject: RE: Greek numerals Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 18:23:20 -0600 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C1C312.C9F663C0" This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C1C312.C9F663C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" There is an article in Der Kleine Pauly by Dietmar Najock on this: Zahlensysteme, Zahlwo+rter (vol. 5, col. 1449-1452). The bibliography cites three works in German and Th. Heath's History of Greek Mathematics (which I have not seen). Najock has a little on the Linear B system, then discusses the system found in Attic inscriptions, which used a simple vertical stroke (I) to represent one, then used the initials of Pente, Deka, Hekaton (an Eta), Chilioi (X), and Myrioi; there were combinations such as a small delta inside the pi of pente to represent 50. If you don't have Der Kleine Pauly, take a look at Russell Meiggs and David Lewis, _A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions_, pp xiv-xv, which explains this system and shows examples. The system found in many manuscripts uses the first nine letters (with digamma after epsilon) to represent the numbers from one to nine, then the next nine letters (including Qoph following Pi) to represent the tens from 10 to 90, and the next nine letters (including sampi after omega) to represent the hundreds from 100 to 900. Up to 999 the numbers are represented with a stroke following which looks like an acute accent; to represent one thousand, you use alpha again but with a stroke below it to the left of the letter. George Pesely, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee peselyg@apsu.edu -----Original Message----- From: janice siegel [mailto:jfsiege@ilstu.edu] Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 5:51 PM To: classics@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Roman Numerals...follow up question Here's a follow-up question to Diana's... My Greek language students asked me how the Greeks wrote their numbers...clearly they didn't use Roman numerals...they didn't use Arabic ones, right? So how did they do their math, with what kind of notation? Cheers, Janice ----- Original Message ----- From: Diana Wright To: Classics Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 5:34 PM Subject: Roman Numerals I have the feeling this is something that everyone knows except me. I was reading an inscription on a dignified building & got to wondering how the Romans said their numbers. Like MCCCXXVII -- I say em-cee-cee-cee-ex-ex-vee-ai-ai, but I'm fairly sure they didn't. DW ------_=_NextPart_001_01C1C312.C9F663C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
There is an article in Der Kleine Pauly by Dietmar Najock on this:  Zahlensysteme, Zahlwo+rter (vol. 5, col. 1449-1452).  The bibliography cites three works in German and Th. Heath's History of Greek Mathematics (which I have not seen).
 
Najock has a little on the Linear B system, then discusses the system found in Attic inscriptions, which used a simple vertical stroke (I) to represent one, then used the initials of Pente, Deka, Hekaton (an Eta), Chilioi (X), and Myrioi; there were combinations such as a small delta inside the pi of pente to represent 50. 
 
If you don't have Der Kleine Pauly, take a look at Russell Meiggs and David Lewis, _A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions_, pp xiv-xv, which explains this system and shows examples.
 
The system found in many manuscripts uses the first nine letters (with digamma after epsilon) to represent the numbers from one to nine, then the next nine letters (including Qoph following Pi) to represent the tens from 10 to 90, and the next nine letters (including sampi after omega) to represent the hundreds from 100 to 900.  Up to 999 the numbers are represented with a stroke following which looks like an acute accent; to represent one thousand, you use alpha again but with a stroke below it to the left of the letter.
 
George Pesely, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee
 
-----Original Message-----
From: janice siegel [mailto:jfsiege@ilstu.edu]
Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 5:51 PM
To: classics@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: Roman Numerals...follow up question

Here's a follow-up question to Diana's...
 
My Greek language students asked me how the Greeks wrote their numbers...clearly they didn't use Roman numerals...they didn't use Arabic ones, right? So how did they do their math, with what kind of notation?
Cheers, Janice
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 5:34 PM
Subject: Roman Numerals

I have the feeling this is something that everyone knows except me.
 
I was reading an inscription on a dignified building & got to wondering how the Romans said their numbers.  Like  MCCCXXVII -- I say em-cee-cee-cee-ex-ex-vee-ai-ai, but I'm fairly sure they didn't.

DW
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