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Roman Numerals: Carvings, Codes, and Pocket Stones
by JoySchooler LearnerExplore how ancient Romans built their numeral system, read monumental inscriptions, and calculated without zero or place value.
Library
Reading and Writing the Symbols
Lesson 1
Cut Marks on a Shepherd's Stick
A shepherd with 37 sheep, one knife, and one stick: how do you cut marks that anyone can read in a single glance?
StartLesson 2
The Clockmaker's Four
Two famous clocks write the number 4 two different ways, IIII and IV, and that little I standing in front of the V shouldn't even make sense. Which clockmaker got it wrong?
StartLesson 3
Carving the Emperor's Arch
Take on the monumental numbers carved across Rome and see what happens as values climb past one thousand.
Locked till you take the prior lessonLesson 4
The Ledger With an Empty Line
What did an ancient Roman merchant write down when every single coin in the cash box was gone?
Locked till you take the prior lessonLesson 5
Pebbles in the Metal Groove
Try adding and subtracting large sums using the handheld bronze tool ancient Roman merchants used.
Locked till you take the prior lessonLesson 6
The Scribe Versus the Abacus
Put Roman calculation head-to-head with modern place-value math to see why the old system finally changed.
Locked till you take the prior lessonReview and assessment
Lesson 7
Test: Roman Numerals: Carvings, Codes, and Pocket Stones
Review the course ideas by applying them to new situations, with kind feedback after every answer.
Locked till you take the prior lesson