----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Everson" <everson@...>
To: <qalam@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2003 7:07 AM
Subject: Alphabetic number systems


> Well, what is it about Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabetic numbering
> that you wanted to know? "Their fate" is rather vague.
> --
> Michael Everson * * Everson Typography * * http://www.evertype.com

Well, even such basic information as the time period when they ceased to be
used is lacking from all of the scholarly sources I've checked (in which, I
grant, my lack of knowledge of Eastern European languages hurts my search).
More specifically, I'd like to know about late texts that use them or
describe how to use them. For instance, Glagolitic script was used until
the early 20th c. on the islands of northwestern Croatia; were these letters
used numerically, or had Hindu-Arabic numerals overwhelmed them by that
time? What are the specifics of Peter the Great's introduction of
Hindu-Arabic numerals into Russian administration, prompting the abandonment
of the old Cyrillic numerals?
Any information you have, or any references you could suggest, would be
greatly appreciated.

Stephen Chrisomalis
Department of Anthropology, McGill University
schris1@...