Dactylonomy, the art of expressing and calculating numbers with the fingers also known as digital reckoning, was common in the classical and medieval world, though today it is almost forgotten. While dactylonomy was mentioned in dozens of Latin texts and depicted on coins and other objects between the third century BCE and sixth century CE, the first detailed insight comes from manuscripts written in the seventh and eighth centuries CE but known from later (eleventh or twelfth century CE) copies. The eighth-century manuscript De temporum ratione [The reckoning of time] was written by Bede the Venerable, a Northumbrian monk interested in calculating the date for Easter. Bede’s descriptions refer to ones from the first century CE, confirming that the dactylonomic system he knew was the same one used by classical authors. While there are no known descriptions of the actual calculations, the fingers were likely used to retain the results of interim calculations, rather than providing a mechanical manipulation akin to an abacus. Bede also said that dactylonomic gestures could be used to spell out alphabetic messages, a method for communicating visually, as well as for visual puns.