Attic Or Herodianic Numerals

The attic numerals are a symbolic number notation used by the ancient greeks.

Attic or herodianic numerals. Or as acrophonic numerals from acrophony because the basic symbols derive from the first letters of the ancient greek words that the symbols represented. They were also known as herodianic numerals because they were first described in a 2nd century manuscript by herodian. The numerals are called acrophonic akro meaning topmost and phone meaning voice because the initial sound of each letter numeral had the same initial sound of the first letter of the greek word that stood for the number in question. Or so used only six symbols.

For example was five times one thousand. Attic refers to the greek territory of attica while herodianic refers to aelius herodianus a grammarian of the 2 nd century a d. The symbols representing 50 500 5000 and 50000 were composites of an old form of the capital letter pi with a short right leg and a tiny version of the applicable power of ten. The attic numerals were a decimal base 10 system like the older egyptian and the later etruscan roman and hindu arabic systems.

One five ten hundred thousand and ten thousand. The attic or herodianic system of numerals was the first numeral system used in ancient greece. This system which arose around 500 b c. They were also known as herodianic numerals because they were first described in a 2nd century manuscript by herodian.

Attic numerals were used by the ancient greeks possibly from the 7th century bc. They were also known as herodianic numerals because they were first described in a 2nd century manuscript by herodian. They are also known as acrophonic numerals because the symbols derive from the first letters of the words that the symbols represent. The letter numeral for 5 in the top table is the old attic greek symbol for pi p.