Mark E. Shoulson wrote:

> [...] Same thing with the preference of V in monumental scripts,
> since it was easier to carve (well, and also older than U).

I don't quite buy this one... It it was true, "O" would be a rectangle...

Simply, capital U was invented after 16th century, so it never caught on in
inscriptions which wanted to look "classic". E.g., inscribing U's, J's or
decimal dicit on the façade of a neoclassic building would be a stylistic
contraddiction in terms.

The V form is also sometimes a nationalistic symbol in romance speaking
countries, especially in Italy. E.g., see the "REPVBBLICA ITALIANA" legend
on this Italian coin from 1998:
<http://digilander.libero.it/adamaney/lettori/25.jpg>.

> [...] This led to the development of the non-final letters in the
> Hebrew alphabet as we know it today [...]
> The final MEM is another story, and an interesting one).

Tell, tell.

--
Marco