II (1 + 1) = 2
VIII (5 + 1 + 1 + 1) = 8
CLI (100 + 50 + 1) = 151
That seems easy
enough! I’m off to
collect some rocks.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
10
11
12
13
14
15
20
30
40
X
XI
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XX
XXX
XL
50
60
70
80
90
100
200
L
LX
LXX
LXXX
XC
C
CC
When a smaller numeral comes
before a larger numeral, take
away the value of the smaller
numeral from the bigger one.
So 4 is IV?
Yes! And 9 is IX, and 40
is XL, and 90 is XC.
To summarize: Always read Roman numerals
comes before a smaller or equal numeral,
add them. But if a smaller numeral comes
before a larger numeral, subtract the
smaller number from the bigger one before
moving on to the next letter in the row.
If there
is a next
letter, of
course!
Here are
some to help
you along!
FURTHER INFORMATION
WHAT THE ROMANS BROUGHT TO BRITAIN
ADVERTISING
We are bombarded by advertising at
every turn these days, and life wasn’t
so different in Roman Britain. The
Romans would stick up posters for
political messages, social events, and,
of course, sports events. No doubt
Julius had his beautiful face drawn on
such a poster!
APPLES AND PEARS
Often used by the Romans to sweeten
recipes. Today, Brits tend to enjoy
them in pies, crisps, and crumbles.
BATHS
Washing and gossiping were two of
Rome’s favorite things, which is why
their baths were so popular. Widely
introduced throughout Britain, the
bath was such a hit that they even
named a city after it! Toilets were just
as popular with Romans, so I think we
got off lightly there.
CALENDAR
Romans loved their calendars, and our
current Gregorian calendar is a direct
descendant of the old Roman calendar
and Julius Caesar’s Julian calendar.
They gave us most of our months,
including September (from the Latin
septem, meaning seven), October
(from the Latin octo, meaning eight),
November (from the Latin novem,
meaning nine), and December (from
the Latin decem, meaning ten). We’ve
added a couple of months to our
calendar since, so those names don’t
make much sense now!
CARROTS
Originally came in red, black, yellow,
and white, as well as the familiar
orange. Romans found them useful
for medicine and for feeding all the
rabbits that had recently turned up.
(See Rabbits)
CATS
Brought over as mascots by the
Roman Army, domestic cats were
also revered as gods of liberty. This
meant they could come and go as they
pleased, a privilege unchanged for the
last two thousand years.
CEMENT
Being great engineers, the Romans
used copious amounts of cement
to construct their statues and
buildings, plenty of which survive
today. Workers even added volcanic
ash to the mixture, which, when
left in water, would set as hard as
rock. Whether Roman construction
workers were also behind the origin of
“plumber’s crack” is not so clear.
CENTRAL HEATING
Villas and baths were kept warm and
cozy for chilly Romans by the circu-
lation of warm air pumped up through
holes in the floor and walls via a
furnace tended by slaves. The warm
air vents were also greatly appreciated
by lazy cats.
FLUSHING TOILETS
Thanks to their great ingenuity and
love of cleanliness, Romans intro-
duced continuously flowing water to
their latrines. Toilets were communal,
so you could sit and merrily chat
with your buddies as you did your
business.
LANGUAGE
The Roman language, Latin, still
permeates modern English to this day.
Initially adopted by the aristocracy
for official documents, people of all
classes now use Latin phrases ad
infinitum. (See what I did there?)
LAW AND ORDER
The Romans introduced the world’s
first organized police force, run much
like an army, throughout their empire.
PAVED STREETS
The Romans built the first towns in
Britain, introducing rigid grid networks
of paved streets running between big
stone buildings. The Britons had never
seen anything quite like it!
PEAS
Originally brought over by the
Romans from the Middle East, peas
are now an important staple of the
British Sunday roast. Not so great on
toast (believe me, I’ve tried).
RABBITS
Rabbits were first domesticated by
the Romans, who bred them for their
meat, fur, and wool. And also because
they were cute, with adorable little
faces. Probably.
STINGING NETTLES
Used by Romans for treating sore
muscles and also for keeping legs
warm by slapping them against the
skin. Nowadays stinging nettle soup
spring.
STRAIGHT ROADS
When the Romans got to Britain,
muddy, twisty-turny roads were
OUT; straight stone roads were IN —
all ten thousand miles of them. The
Romans made their roads straight so
that their marching army could invade
your rebellious village even more
quickly. Hooray!
TURNIPS
Widely used by Romans as food
for livestock during the cold winter
months. Wow, eating turnips on a
cold, wet day, standing in a muddy
field: sheep and cows always knew
how to have a good time.
WINE
Water was very unsafe to drink two
thousand years ago, so Romans drank
wine instead. W
ine was so popular
with the Romans that they drank
25 million gallons (100 million liters)
a year in the city of Rome alone!
In Britain everyone drank cheap beer,
but the Romans hated the stuff, so
they stuck to their wine.
FELIX’S AWESOME ROCK COLLECTION
Green and sparkly
Rock with grass
growing out of it
Coughed up by a duck
Piece of the Pyramid of Giza
Almost like bacon
Nose fallen off a statue
Looks like the Moon
Lucky stone
(My second one; lost
the first one.)
Looks a bit like Julius
Found under my bed
Street cobblestone
Reminds me of home
Identical stones
Dropped from my ear
Amber with fly inside
Stone from Londinium river
From the race track at
the Circus Maximus
Volcanic sponge
Actually floats
Emperor Nero’s favorite rock
(replica)
Fell off the Colosseum
Smallest stone in the world
Old stone tooth
From Hadrian’s garden