@hannah Was curious. seems there's a religious explanation. Arabic numerals are house of the day, Roman numerals are hours after previous sunset. Used to define when the Ave Maria is rung (half our after sunset).
https://www.reddit.com/r/Astronomy/comments/ey6k5a/hi_guys_im_an_absolute_layman_but_i_cannot_find/
@davoloid fascinating, thank you