In this article I will explain how to read roman numerals and date.

First of all we need know Roman symbols for numbers.

This a short table:

1 = I

2 = II

3 = III

4 = IV

5 = V

6 = VI

7 = VII

8 = VIII

9 = IX

10 = X

Other important numbers (symbols) are:

50 = L

100 = C

500 = D

1000 = M

Now some important rules:

1) No more than three identical symbols are allowed in sequence; for example you can write the number “3” as III and the number “4” as IV but not as IIII.

2) When you have a couple of two symbols and the minor is on the left and the major is on the right, the minor number is subtracted to the major one. Example IX is nine because is ten minus one; IV is four because is five minus one; CD is four hundreds because is five hundreds minus one hundred.

Note that according to rule one you cannot write four hundreds as CCCC.

3) When you have a couple of two symbols and the major is on the left and the minor is on the right, the minor number is added to the major one. Example XI is eleven because is ten plus one; VI is six because is five plus one; DC is six hundreds because is five hundreds plus one hundred.

Example:

Year 2009: MMIX (one thousand + one thousand + ten – one)

Year 1492: MCDXCII

Year 1789: MDCCLXXXIX

Year 1925: MCMXXV

Year 1975: MCMLXXV

Some problems are related with numbers greater than 3999 = MMM CM XC IX