Florence Bans Arabic Numerals and Zero from Official Documents

In 1299, Florence banned bankers and merchants from using Hindu-Arabic numerals and zero in contracts and official documents, requiring Roman numerals instead. Authorities cited forgery concerns, noting that zeros could be altered into sixes or nines. Religious suspicion of symbols from non-Christian sources contributed to the restriction. The ban occurred nearly a century after Fibonacci's Liber Abaci had introduced the system to Europe. The University of Padua imposed similar restrictions in 1348. Despite resistance, Hindu-Arabic numerals achieved widespread European use by 1500.