It
is thought by some that Roman Numerals began as a tally
system used by shepherds to keep track of their sheep.
Each
sheep was counted with a single notch cut into a stick with
a knife. Every fifth
sheep was recorded with two notches to form a V
and then each tenth
sheep was denoted by an X.
This
method of record keeping was still being used by Italian
shepherds in the nineteenth
century.
