Paris, remove Roman numbering from captions in museums. "An obstacle to understanding"

After the Louvre, the Parisian Musée Carnavalet, a museum dedicated to the history of the city, will also abandon Roman numeration in the captions of works on display and adopt Arabic numeration. The decision is reportedly due to the fact that more and more visitors find it difficult to read Roman numerals, but this risks being a renunciation for those who defend ancient and classical culture.

So after four years of work and a total renovation in all aspects, the history museum has decided to change the numbering in some captions. The Louvre, already for some years, has eliminated Roman numbering to indicate centuries, while keeping them to indicate sovereigns. This is not the case, however, for the Musée Carnavalet, where the captions of portraits, paintings and sculptures will henceforth read, for example, Louis 14 instead of Louis XIV.

"We are not against Roman numerals, but they can be an obstacle for visitors to understand. How many times have we seen parents reading captions designed especially for children?" commented Noémie Giard, head of public services at the museum.

The choice provoked controversy from antiquities scholars. Among them was François Martin, president of the Coordination of Teachers in Ancient Languages (Cnarela), who commented, “It’s the chicken and egg story. The less Roman numerals are used, the less people are able to understand them. But it’s a pity, because in elementary school children love to learn Roman numerals, it’s like a game for them.”

Ph.Credit

Paris, remove Roman numbering from captions in museums. "An obstacle to understanding"

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