MMXCVII

MMXCVII is the Roman numeral representation of the number 2097. Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the standard way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the late Middle Ages. The system uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values.

The system is additive and subtractive. In the case of MMXCVII, 'M' represents 1000, 'X' represents 10, 'C' represents 100, and 'V' represents 5, and 'I' represents 1. When a symbol of smaller value precedes a symbol of larger value, it is subtracted from the larger value. For example, 'XC' means 100 minus 10, which equals 90. Conversely, when a symbol of smaller or equal value follows a symbol of larger value, it is added. Thus, MMXCVII breaks down as M (1000) + M (1000) + XC (90) + V (5) + I (1) + I (1), resulting in 2000 + 90 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 2097.

The use of Roman numerals, while largely superseded by the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, can still be found in various contexts today. These include marking the year on clock faces, in copyright dates on films and books, and in the numbering of monarchs and popes. The construction of MMXCVII follows the established rules of Roman numeral formation.