Roman numerals
Enable an AI agent to recognise Roman numerals, interpret them under an explicit convention, assess ambiguity or irregularity, and decide whether transcription, conversion or correction is justified.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise Roman numerals, interpret them under an explicit convention, assess ambiguity or irregularity, and decide whether transcription, conversion or correction is justified.
It can be Identify candidate Roman numerals and distinguish them from surrounding alphabetic text.; Derive and explain numerical readings under explicitly selected conventions.; Check conformity and report accepted variants separately from unsupported or erroneous forms.; Convert between Roman numeral notation and another numerical representation within a supported range.; Produce a normalised form while preserving the observed form and explaining each change.; Withhold conversion or correction when ambiguity, damage or identifier use makes the action unjustified..
Distinguishing features
A candidate uses symbols with an evidenced Roman numeral role; merely containing I, V, X, L, C, D or M does not establish that role.
A numerical reading follows the selected convention's composition rules rather than decimal place value.
Surrounding context supports a numerical function, distinguishing a numeral such as MIX from the same letters used as a word.
Unusual repetitions, ordering or marks are assessed against an identified usage convention rather than automatically treated as errors.
A numeral's value is distinguished from its referent: IV can express four while functioning as a chapter label or an ordinal in a name.
Scope
+ Recognition of Roman numeral tokens and their boundaries within surrounding text or inscriptions
+ Symbol values, additive and subtractive composition, and convention-dependent restrictions
+ Historical or specialised forms, including extended notation, when supported by evidence
+ Numerical interpretation, ambiguity and conformity to an identified convention
+ Uses as quantities, ordinals, dates, sequence labels or identifiers
+ Faithful transcription, numerical conversion and convention-specific normalisation
- Latin alphabet letters and words when they do not function as numerals
- The people, rulers, publications, clocks or monuments that carry numeral labels
- Calendar systems and the conversion of dates between calendars
- Arithmetic algorithms and calculation devices beyond interpreting or producing numeral notation
- General typography, font design and optical character recognition systems
- Other numeral systems, except as targets or comparators for Roman numeral conversion
Characteristics
- Observed numeral form
- Exact visible or encoded sequence, preserving case, spacing, marks and uncertain characters Interpretation and later correction must remain traceable to what was actually observed.
- Numeral recognition status
- confirmed numeral | candidate numeral | ambiguous with nonnumerical text | rejected Prevents ordinary letters or words from being converted merely because they resemble numeral strings.
- Governing convention
- Identified rule set or documented usage tradition, with supporting evidence; otherwise unresolved Acceptability and interpretation depend on the convention being applied.
- Interpreted value
- Dimensionless numerical value, candidate values or unresolved Supports comparison and conversion without concealing competing readings.
- Composition pattern
- additive | subtractive | mixed | extended or specialised | unresolved Exposes how the proposed reading was obtained and which rules require verification.
- Convention conformity
- conforming | accepted variant | nonconforming | indeterminate Separates a readable form from a form permitted by a particular writing rule.
- Contextual function
- quantity | ordinal | date component | sequence label | identifier component | other evidenced role | unresolved Determines whether replacing the numeral with another representation preserves its meaning and function.
- Occurrence context
- Containing text, inscription, object or document location, with relevant neighbouring content Context helps resolve token boundaries, numerical intent and permissible transformations.
- Transcription certainty
- clear | partially uncertain | damaged or incomplete | competing transcriptions An uncertain character must not become a confidently asserted numerical value.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 21 questions.
Numeral recognition Establish whether an observed string functions as a Roman numeral and what belongs to that string.
Roman numeral symbols overlap with ordinary letters, so symbol matching alone cannot establish identity.
Numerical intent
Separate numeral use from words, initials and decorative lettering.
Roman numeral candidate
Record the candidate sequence and the contextual evidence for treating it as numerical notation.
- What evidence makes this sequence a Roman numeral rather than a word, abbreviation or set of initials? definition
- Which surrounding labels, neighbouring numbers or repeated layout patterns support or challenge that reading? boundary
Token and marks
Determine numeral boundaries and retain marks that may affect interpretation.
Observed sequence
Preserve the letters, numeral characters, spacing and attached marks before interpretation.
- Which characters and marks belong to this numeral, and which are punctuation or neighbouring text? boundary
- Does the available image or text support an exact transcription, including any overline or uncertain stroke? provenance
Notation conventions Identify the rules under which the numeral is to be interpreted and assessed.
A model must distinguish convention-specific restrictions from the broader range of attested Roman numeral usage.
Symbol repertoire
Establish which symbols and modifiers the selected convention recognises.
Symbol values and modifiers
Record supported symbol meanings, including any marked or specialised forms.
- What values does the selected convention assign to the symbols present in this numeral? definition
- What source establishes the meaning of any overline, enclosing mark or unfamiliar numeral sign in this context? provenance
Composition rules
Establish permitted ordering, repetition and subtraction for the intended use.
Permitted numeral forms
Make the applicable formation rules explicit instead of assuming one universal canonical form.
- Which repetitions, subtractive pairs and symbol orderings does this convention permit? definition
- Does the intended setting accept alternatives such as IIII and IV, and what evidence or requirement decides that? boundary
Numerical reading Derive supported values and distinguish interpretability from conformity.
A plausible numerical result does not by itself establish that the observed form is valid or uniquely understood.
Value derivation
Explain how a numerical reading follows from symbols and composition rules.
Supported value
Associate each candidate value with its parsing and governing convention.
- What value follows when this sequence is parsed under the selected convention? measurement
- Which symbols are added, subtracted or modified, and does another supported parsing yield a different value? measurement
Reading status
Assess whether a reading is settled, variant, nonconforming or unresolved.
Interpretability and conformity
Keep reading confidence separate from adherence to the selected formation rules.
- Is this numeral conforming, an accepted variant, nonconforming or indeterminate under the identified convention? boundary
- If a value seems recoverable despite an irregular form, what evidence supports reporting it rather than leaving the value unresolved? action
Use and evidence Connect numeral readings to their contextual function and the evidence preserved in an occurrence.
Roman numerals often identify or order things, and their original form can matter independently of numerical value.
Numeral function
Identify what the numeral does within a name, label, date or statement.
Value and referent
Distinguish the numeral's numerical reading from the entity or sequence position it denotes.
- Does this occurrence express a quantity, an ordinal, a date component or a label? definition
- Which containing name or reference must remain attached to the numeral so that its referent is not lost? boundary
Attestation and condition
Track the source and legibility of the numeral used for interpretation.
Transcription basis
Separate directly visible symbols from editorial expansions, reconstructions and machine readings.
- Was this numeral read from an original object, an image, an edition, a manual transcription or OCR output? provenance
- Which characters are damaged, supplied or uncertain, and how do those uncertainties affect the possible values? boundary
Conversion and preservation Determine when numeral production, conversion and normalisation preserve the intended meaning.
Equivalent numerical representations can differ in historical fidelity, label identity and suitability for a target convention.
Value conversion
Control conversion through explicit input readings and target notation rules.
Conversion preconditions
Establish whether a supported value can be represented in the requested output convention.
- Is the input value sufficiently settled to convert, and does the target convention support that value? boundary
- Which Roman numeral form should be generated under the requested output convention, and does reading it back recover the same value? action
Normalisation and fidelity
Distinguish faithful transcription from editorial changes and value-preserving replacements.
Justified transformation
Record the purpose, evidence and consequences of changing a numeral's written form.
- Does the task require preserving the observed numeral, normalising it to a named convention or correcting an evidenced error? action
- Would changing case, spacing, marks or an additive form erase evidence or alter a name, citation or identifier? boundary
- How will the original form and the reason for each change remain available after transformation? action
What the second pass must settle
- Which documented contemporary conventions should the model support initially, and what exact formation rules and numerical ranges does each specify?
- Which historical and regional variants require explicit support, and which primary examples establish their readings?
- How should overlines, enclosing marks and specialised large-number forms be distinguished when their meaning depends on context?
- Should attested fractional notation and conventions for expressing absence or zero fall within this registry entry, and what evidence supports that boundary?
- Which transcription and character-encoding equivalences preserve numeral meaning, and which risk losing significant visual or editorial evidence?