Re: Query: Roman numeral dating

[Boris <plazabks@SONIC.NET>]

Carol,

	I don't know the background and will look into it, but cl(reverse c)  
= 1000, l(reverse c) = 500. c of course = 100, etc. Note the value  
for 1000 looks like the letter m, as in the Latin mille or a  
thousand.  l(reverse c) looks like the letter d, as in the latin  
dimidium mille or a half thousand. I have never read anything  
clarifying this, but this is my own supposition. Why the letters, in  
roman dating during the early days or printing, should be written in  
that way, I don't know.

Boris


On Oct 30, 2006, at 5:48 AM, Clausen, Carol (NIH/NLM) [E] wrote:

> Would you send the explanation to ExLibris? I'm interested.
> Carol
> Carol Clausen
> History of Medicine Division
> National Library of Medicine
> 8600 Rockville Pike
> Bethesda, MD 20894
> phone: 301 435 4993
> fax: 301 402 0872
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ron Lieberman [mailto:rarebooks@POBOX.COM]
> Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 7:17 AM
> To: EXLIBRIS@MAIL.ECW.NAME
> Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS] Query: Roman numeral dating
>
> > date "cI*,I*,ccc,LXXIV" (asterisks represent printed backward "c").
> > What's it translate as? 1874?
>
> Bruce:
>
> If I'm visualizing this correctly... you can read this as:
> MDCCCLXXIV  = 1874
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Ron
> --
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Boris Bruton
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