section_path: Abstract
section_name: Abstract
paragraph_text: Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, each with a fixed integer value. The modern style uses only these seven:
  
  The use of Roman numerals continued long after the decline of the Roman Empire. From the 14th century on, Roman numerals began to be replaced by Arabic numerals; however, this process was gradual, and the use of Roman numerals persisted in various places, including on clock faces. For instance, on the clock of Big Ben (designed in 1852), the hours from 1 to 12 are written as:
  
  The notations IV and IX can be read as "one less than five" (4) and "one less than ten" (9), although there is a tradition favouring the representation of "4" as " IIII " on Roman numeral clocks.
  
  Other common uses include year numbers on monuments and buildings and copyright dates on the title screens of films and television programmes. MCM, signifying "a thousand, and a hundred less than another thousand", means 1900, so 1912 is written MCMXII. For the years of the current (21st) century, MM indicates 2000; this year is MMXXV (2025).