Etruscan numerals

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The Etruscan numerals were used by the ancient Etruscans. The system was adapted from the Greek Attic numerals and formed the inspiration for the later Roman numerals.

Etruscan	Decimal	Symbol *
θu	1	I
maχ	5	Λ
śar	10	X
muvalχ	50	↑
?	100	C or Ж

(* approximate shape of the symbols, because these are not included in the standard set available on the computer. In addition, a second shape used for 100 is an X with a vertical line going through its center - the symbol for 50 is the bottom half of it)

There is very little surviving evidence of these numerals. Examples are known of the symbols for larger numbers, but it is unknown which symbol represents which number.

Thanks to the numbers written out on the Tuscania dice, there is agreement about the fact that zal, ci, huθ and śa are the numbers up to 6 (besides 1 and 5). The assignment depends on the answer to the question whether the numbers on opposite faces on Etruscan dice add up to seven, like nowadays. It is a fact that some dice found don't show this proposed pattern.

An interesting aspect of the Etruscan numeral system is that some numbers, like in the Roman system, are represented as partial subtractions. So "17" is not written *semφ-śar as English speakers might reason. We instead find <ci-em zaθrum> -- literally, "three away from twenty". The numbers 17, 18 and 19 are all written in this way.

[edit] The general consensus

Despite the continuing debate specifically about which of <huθ> and <ša> are "four" and "six", the general agreement among Etruscologists nowadays is now the following:

Etruscan	Decimal
θu	one
zal	two
ci	three
huθ	four
maχ	five
śa	six
semφ	seven
cezp	eight
nurφ	nine
śar	ten
*θuśar	eleven
*zalśar	twelve
*ciśar	thirteen
huθzar	fourteen
*maχśar	fifteen
*śaśar	sixteen
ciem zaθrum	seventeen
eslem zaθrum	eighteen
θunem zaθrum	nineteen
zaθrum	20
cealχ	30
*huθalχ	40
muvalχ	50
śealχ	60
semφalχ	70
cezpalχ	80
*nurφalχ	90

Note. Recently (2006) S. A. Yatsemirsky (PDF) has presented evidence that zar = śar meant ‘12’ (cf. zal ‘2’ and zaθrum ‘20’) while halχ meant ‘10’. According to his interpretation the attested form huθzar was used for ‘sixteen’, not ‘fourteen’.