Each rod typically represents one digit of a multi-digit number laid out using a positional numeral system such as base ten (though some cultures used different numerical bases).
ˈiːtʃ ɹˈɑːd tˈɪpɪkli ɹˌɛpɹᵻzˈɛnts wˈʌn dˈɪdʒɪt əvə mˈʌltaɪdˈɪdʒɪt nˈʌmbɚ lˈeɪd ˈaʊt jˈuːzɪŋ ɐ pəzˈɪʃənəl nˈuːmɚɹəl sˈɪstəm sˈʌtʃ ɐz bˈeɪs tˈɛn ðˌoʊ sˌʌm kˈʌltʃɚz jˈuːzd dˈɪfɹənt nuːmˈɛɹɪkəl bˈeɪsᵻz.