Roman Numerals 1 to 100

We all must have seen the Roman numbers on watch or clock faces, list items, chapter headings, copyright dates or may be the titles of films with sequels. But we seldom think about the history of Roman numerals. Let's travel back in time and try to trace the origin of Roman numerals.

History of Roman Numerals
The history of Roman numbers dates back to 1st millennium BC, when they were used to record numbers on stone, coins and in some art form. Records have been found which confirms that they were used by ancient Etruscan. Roman numerals have originated in ancient Rome, where they were used in their numeral system. Roman numerals were also used to number the entrances to the various sections of the Colosseum which was built around 80AD. Many historians contend that the digits in the Roman numerals are related to hand signals made by one person to another. For example, I, II, III correspond to the fingers held up to convey the corresponding value (which we all still do). So then, enough of history for now, but how to read roman numerals? Let's try to understand.

Roman Numerals Conversion
Roman numerals use certain letters of the alphabet which are combined to form the sum or difference of their values. The Roman numeral system although decimal is not directly positional and most importantly does not include a zero. Roman numerals are based on seven symbols. I for unit, V for five, X for ten etc. Seven basic symbols are given below.

Symbol	Value
I	One
V	Five
X	Ten
L	Fifty
C	One Hundred
D	Five Hundred
M	One Thousand

Large Roman Numerals Conversion Chart
For large numbers (i.e. 4000 and above), a bar is placed above the basic symbol. Another way to represent large numbers is to place parentheses around the basic symbol.

Symbol	Value
V or (V)	Five Thousand
X or (X)	Ten Thousand
L or (L)	Fifty Thousand
C or (C)	One Hundred Thousand
D or (D)	Five Hundred Thousand
M or (M)	One Million

This pattern can be extrapolated to arrive at this generic table:

	x1	x2	x3	x4	x5	x6	x7	x8	x9
Ones	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX
Tens	X	XX	XXX	XL	L	LX	LXX	LXXX	XC
Hundreds	C	CC	CCC	CD	D	DC	DCC	DCCC	CM
Thousands	M	MM	MMM	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX
Ten Thousands	X	XX	XXX	XL	L	LX	LXX	LXXX	XC
Hundred Thousands	C	CC	CCC	CD	D	DC	DCC	DCCC	CM

Learning Roman Numerals
Some people (in fact most of us) might find the above tables difficult to remember. So here is a "Mantra" which will help you remember the chart till your days on earth.

"My Dear Cousin Loves Xmas Vacations"

My	M	1000
Dear	D	500
Cousin	C	100
Loves	L	50
Xmas	X	10
Vacations	V	5

Roman Numerals 1 to 100 Chart
Now if you want a list of Roman numerals 1-100 take a look at the conversion chart which is given below for your reference.

1	I	11	XI	21	XXI	31	XXXI	41	XLI	51	LI	61	LXI	71	LXXI	81	LXXXI	91	XCI
2	II	12	XII	22	XXII	32	XXXII	42	XLII	52	LII	62	LXII	72	LXXII	82	LXXXII	92	XCII
3	III	13	XIII	23	XXIII	33	XXXIII	43	XLIII	53	LIII	63	LXIII	73	LXXIII	83	LXXXIII	93	XCIII
4	IV	14	XIV	24	XXIV	34	XXXIV	44	XLIV	54	LIV	64	LXIV	74	LXXIV	84	LXXXIV	94	XCIV
5	V	15	XV	25	XXV	35	XXXV	45	XLV	55	LV	65	LXV	75	LXXV	85	LXXXV	95	XCV
6	VI	16	XVI	26	XXVI	36	XXXVI	46	XLVI	56	LVI	66	LXVI	76	LXXVI	86	LXXXVI	96	LCVI
7	VII	17	XVII	27	XXVII	37	XXXVII	47	XLVII	57	LVII	67	LXVII	77	LXXVII	87	LXXXVII	97	XCVII
8	VIII	18	XVIII	28	XXVIII	38	XXXVIII	48	XLVIII	58	LVIII	68	LXVIII	78	LXXVIII	88	LXXXVIII	98	XCVIII
9	IX	19	XIX	29	XXIX	39	XXXIX	49	XLIX	59	LIX	69	LXIX	79	LXXIX	89	LXXXIX	99	XCIX
10	X	20	XX	30	XXX	40	XL	50	L	60	LX	70	LXX	80	LXXX	90	XC	100	C

Printable Roman Numerals Chart for Kids
Now kids often get assignments regarding Roman numerals. Given below is a link containing a chart. Click on the link given below, save the file and take out a printout.

Click to Download Free Printable Roman Numerals Chart.

So in the above article we learned about the history of Roman numerals, Roman numerals conversion and we also saw the Roman numerals 1 to 100 chart. I hope this article will be useful to you. You can save the Roman numerals chart for your further reference and can also take a printout. If you liked the above article, spare a few seconds and leave a comment in the comment box below.