> you probably need a Ph.D in Latin to perform counting [...] Indian/Arabic numeral (including 0) is such a revelation to the modern world. There are several a

> you probably need a Ph.D in Latin to perform counting [...] Indian/Arabic numeral (including 0) is such a revelation to the modern world. There are several advantages of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, but accessibility is not one of them. It takes significant training in literacy and numeration to become fluent with them, and the representation of numbers is much less direct than Roman numerals or similar systems which can be learned very quickly. For several centuries Roman numerals remained the standard tool for ordinary people in Europe while the educated elite (accountants, mathematicians, scientists) switched to Hindu–Arabic numerals. If Roman numerals seem hard to decipher, that is mainly evidence of your lack of familiarity with them rather than any innate difficulty. (Funny side note: the word “decipher” originally literally meant “read and interpret a Hindu–Arabic number”, from the time when they were considered obscure and difficult. The “cipher” part refers to the symbol ‘0’.)