Roman Numerals

[moonraker558]

Why do tv and film companies still use these on their end credits?
What is the point?
And what did the Romans ever do for us in the first place?

[jno]

http://lowres.cartoonstock.com/history-historian-roman_history-romans-classics-classicists-rnin994_low.jpg

[BlackadderV]

Q1 It adds a touch of class.

Q2 See Monty Pythons's Life of Brian.

[DaisyNonna]

Makes them feel superior
Put Latin on the syllabus

[moonraker558]

Yes but surely most people don't understand them.

[BlackadderV]

They were taught at junior school, long before I learnt Latin. They are inscribed on monuments the length and breadth of Europe, so one may as well learn what they mean.

[BlackadderV]

Never come across a public clock with Roman numerals?

[weecalf]

roman numerals would sometime come up in crosswords .romans give us roads ,baths and noses

[moonraker558]

That's all very well but what use are they in this country and in this age of technology, What's wrong with 2015 instead of MMXV.
And come to mention it why have them on clock and watch dials?

[weecalf]

I've haven't the time but it's to do with the sundial

[Old_Geezer]

Why not ?

[Psybbo]

Hey, good to see you moonie, how are things?

[jno]

the serious answer is - probably - just that: so nobody would be able to tell how old a film or TV show actually is. The date would have vanished from the screen before anyone could work it out.

[Postdog]

A very informative programme
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Romans_Did_for_Us

[tonymclark]

My guess would actually be, believe it or not, for clarity. In some typefaces different numbers can look the same (5 and 6 for example could be mistaken for each other). With Roman Numerals there is less confusion as similar letters aren't used, as far as I know (so no IN being mistaken for W or anything like that). Book publishing uses Roman Numerals for copyright dates, so its use in film and TV programmes may be an extension of that convention.
I have to say, I've never had problems understanding Roman Numerals and worked them out in the 1970s by looking up the dates in the Annuals that I had.

[zebo]

I quite like trying to work out the dates, in reality, it's only the last few that matter. Very few of my ex-pupils would believe that "our" numbers are called Arabic.