On the tube last night someone sitting next to me was reading a book written in Hebrew. The pages were numbered with Arabic numerals.
These numerals are called arabic, which is funny, because the arabs themselves use other characters for numbers.
Re:numerals
rafael on 2004-06-08T12:31:35
Those are called Arabic numbers because they are, indeed, variants on the numeric symbols used in Arabic (see samples here). Some of the shapes are easily recognizable, as are their decimal combination. Those numbers have been introduced in Europe during the XIth or XIIth century IIRC, by a Christian priest who made a travel through the Dar al-Islam to learn about languages, religions and techniques. Their shape evolved to be more compatible with the shape of manuscript latin letters used at this time. (This priest later became a pope, which is, I think, a good lesson in religious tolerance. Unfortunately I don't remember which pope, and I've no time to google for it currently.)Re:numerals
hfb on 2004-06-08T14:50:57
Sylvester II (999-1003). Sadly, the people who thought that an occasionally benevolent, omnipotent, elusive and unseen god made the world flat and the center of the universe also regarded much of his accrued knowledge as demonic, and of him a mystic, a wizard, a devil. So much for religious tolerance or sense of irony. You must be thinking of B.C. not A.D.:) The current pope had a big shindig celebrating Sylvester's millenial anniversary last year if I recall correctly. Re:numerals
rafael on 2004-06-08T17:01:30
Wow, I'm impressed. The benefits of a catholic education?Re:numerals
RobertX on 2004-06-11T23:53:38
Yes sadly, had the Roman Catholic church just read the Bible they would have known their views were incorrect and spare a few people a nasty burn.Re:numerals
hfb on 2004-06-12T04:44:09
Yes, the Catholics did enjoy burning people...Joan of Arc, heretics, anyone who disagreed with them.....and reading was only for a chosen few so, maybe they should have stopped people from going to movies.:) Re:numerals
TorgoX on 2004-06-13T00:37:25
In Arabic they're called "Hindu numbers".
