Number systems don't have to be literal (it could be numbers that don't necessarily match the number shapes).
...
Okay, I'm glancing through Nick's paper (thanks for the link).
I see the first part is basically relating it to Roman numerals. I agree, there are parts that do look like Roman numerals. I think I've seen this possibility mentioned by other researchers too. I noticed it long before I knew anyone in the Voynich community, so I imagine quite a few people have independently noticed the similarity.
But I don't know how many have tried to resolve it into a full system. Clearly Nick took the time to do that (I haven't seen this paper before). I'm looking at page number 2 and Nick has tried to work out a way to make out the whole numbering system. Probably many people who noticed the similarity to Roman numerals but never bothered to follow it up (I've been following it up, but in a slightly different way, so I find this interesting).
Haha... Under the chart for numbers up to 98, Nick says in his rationale for component characters:
[font=Eva]ch [/font]I believe that this is steganography: rearrange the strokes to get "
V". OK, this isn't the strongest argument around, but please read on…
Actually Nick, this is funny. I've actually considered whether this might be "v" not only because of position, but also because of the shapes. You don't have to change the strokes, just turn it upside down and you get a flat-bottomed "v". Okay, it's not a perfect "v" but it does actually kind of work.
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Okay, now he gets to "gallows" characters. What Nick has done is point out the parts of the gallows that intersect, which gives you increasing intersections. It's a perfectly reasonable argument in light of the progressions of the shapes and the previous logic for the lower numbers, but...
I guess this is where we part ways in how we interpret the shapes...
I spent a lot of time studying Greek acrophonic numbers and a couple of other numbering systems used by the Greeks and Copts (including one that is similar to Roman numerals). Shapes akin to the VMS gallows glyphs are almost all used in Greek number systems.
- In one of the most common Greek systems, letters are numbers and some of the larger numbers include the Greek letter rho written like a capital. Greek rho looks like a P. And, these numbers were sometimes benched and sometimes stacked. It's a very Greek way of thinking about things (examples have been posted on my blog).
- Also, there are some very specific ways that an actual "gallows" shape was written. I looks quite a bit like a hangman stick figure game. I have probably described it on one of my blogs. The numbers are created by adding shapes under the crossbar of the gallows shape and they are reasonably logical.
- Also, I've mentioned the rare shape with the staircase plus dot is Greek. It's a perfect example of the Greek way of thinking—to make a boxy or angular shape and add a dot. This kind of shape was used for both abbreviations and numbers and does not appear to have been adapted into Latin scribal conventions. Many of the other Greek conventions were adapted into Latin, but not this one.
- AND there is another shape which looks like a big P that has a half-bench (the benches and half-benches indicated different quantities and were used on old Greek coins (I have posted an example on my blog)). Not only this, but sometimes this bench or half-bench HAS A STRAIGHT LEG instead of a c shape. This is so much a part of the Greek repertoire that even modern Greek fonts include it. If you've only looked at transcripts and not at the VMS itself, you probably don't understand what this has to do with the VMS, but there are places where the leg has VERY SPECIFICALLY been drawn straight.
So, there is not only one Greek or Coptic numbering system that echoes the shapes of the VMS glyphs with ascenders, there are several.
Bummer, just got called away for something important. I'll try to finish and include screensnaps if I can get back.