988
988 is the conventional year the Kievan Rus adopted Christianity.
- Even
- Composite
Why 988 is special
Vladimir's choice of Byzantine Christianity over Islam, Judaism and Latin Christianity shaped the religious and political orientation of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus permanently.
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (12)
- 1, 2, 4, 13, 19, 26, 38, 52, 76, 247, 494, 988
- Prime factorisation
- 2^2 × 13 × 19
- Digit sum
- 25
- Digital root
- 7
Representations
- Decimal
- 988
- Scientific notation
- 9.880 × 10^2
Roman numerals
C M L X X X V I I I
CMLXXXVIII uses the subtractive pair CM: a hundred before a thousand — a thousand minus a hundred.
Binary
1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
1 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 988
Octal
1 7 3 4
1 × 512 + 7 × 64 + 3 × 8 + 4 × 1 = 988
Hexadecimal
3 d c
3 × 256 + d × 16 + c × 1 = 988
Read as powers of two: 512 + 256 + 128 + 64 + 16 + 8 + 4 = 988.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
9 coils of rope, 8 hobbles, 8 strokes
9 × 100 + 8 × 10 + 8 × 1 = 988. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
1 corner wedge + 6 vertical wedges (sixties place), 2 corner wedges + 8 vertical wedges (units place)
16 × 60 + 28 = 988. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Greek (Ionic)
sampi, then pi, then eta, marked as a numeral
sampi-pi-eta + keraia
sampi + pi + eta written in descending order and added — the letters carry their values wherever they stand, so this is addition, not place value.
Hebrew numerals
tav, then tav, then qof, then pe, then het
tav-tav-qof-pe-het
tav (400) + tav (400) + qof (100) + pe (80) + het (8) = 988, written in descending order.
Systems that simply cannot reach this value are left out. Where a script needs a font most readers do not have, the reading is given instead of the glyphs — see number systems for each system in full.
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
Religion & belief
The Rus adopted Byzantine rather than Latin Christianity around 988, which set the alphabet, liturgy and political orientation of eastern Slavic states. The chronicle's account of how the choice was made is legendary.
DocumentedReligion & beliefGeography: Kievan RusPeriod: 988
Common questions
Is 988 a prime number?
No, 988 is not prime.
What are the factors of 988?
The factors of 988 are 1, 2, 4, 13, 19, 26, 38, 52, 76, 247, 494, 988.
What is 988 in Roman numerals?
988 in Roman numerals is CMLXXXVIII. CM is subtractive: a hundred before a thousand — a thousand minus a hundred. Written additively it would be DCCCCLXXXVIII, which Roman inscriptions used freely — the strict subtractive form is a later convention.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 1 reviewer-confirmed record, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026