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FrozenAqua t1_j064b6g wrote

Hello! On clock faces featuring roman numbers, the number 4 is written as IIII instead of IV. It is oftend told that King Louis XIV. made the watchmakers to write it as IIII deliberately for aesthetic reasons.

Now my question: Has anyone a source for that? Unfortunately I can't find anything... I want to show it to my students. Thanks in advance!

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AngryBlitzcrankMain t1_j07e8me wrote

No its bullshit. Romans used both IIII and IV and clocks did too centuries before Louis.

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