Fig. 24.58. Evolution of Indian numerals 2 and 3

“[T]he superposition of two or three horizontal lines, first transformed into one complete sign by a ligature, gave birth to the same forms as the Indian numerals for 2 and 3, whose palaeographical styles vary considerably according to the era, the region and the habits of the scribe.”

—Georges Ifrah, The Universal History of Numbers, 2000.