SS91: Historical Time

1. SS91: Historical Time Numbering the Centuries

2. Numbering the Centuries: Terms to Learn B.C. means “Before Christ.” A.D. means “Anno Domini” or “In the Year of Our Lord.” B.C.E. means “Before Common Era.” (B.C.) C.E. means “Common Era.” (A.D.) Important: It is extremely important to remember that if there are not any letters following a date, then the date is automatically A.D.

3. Historical Time: Centuries A.D. 1stCentury A.D. = 1 A.D. – 100 A.D. 2nd Century A.D. = 101 A.D. – 200 A.D. 3rd Century A.D. = 201 A.D. – 300 A.D. 4thCentury A.D. = 301 A.D. – 400 A.D. 5thCentury A.D. = 401 A.D. – 500 A.D. and so on and so on…………………………………… 21st Century A.D. = ??????????????????? Remember: There is no year “0” so, since a century is 100 years, the centuries start at year one and continue for one hundred years. So the year 2000 is in the 20th century, but the year 2001 is the beginning of the new century, so it is in the 21st century.

4. Historical Time: Centuries B.C. Now let’s look at the way we number centuries in B.C. 1st Century B.C. = 1 B.C. – 100 B.C. 2nd Century B.C. = 101 B.C. – 200 B.C. 3rd Century B.C. = 201 B.C. – 300 B.C. and so on and so on…………………………………… Remember: When we date things today, we know that as the numbers get larger, the date is later. This is not the way it works when we look at B.C. dates. If a B.C. date is smaller than another, it happened later. For example: 1 B.C. happened after 22 B.C.

5. Let’s try these together: • 1. 1401 A.D. 2. 901 B.C. 3. 1650 A.D. • 4. 1 A.D. 5. 1591 B.C. 6. 1989 • 7. 1701 A.D. 8. 1785 B.C.E. 9. 200 C.E.