B.C.E.
Definition
- Adverb:
- Before the Common Era: An abbreviation used to indicate a year or period occurring before the year 1 in the Gregorian calendar. It is a secular alternative to "B.C." (Before Christ).
Usage
- Position in a Sentence: "B.C.E." is placed after a specific year or century.
- Function: It functions as a temporal marker to clarify that a date is counted backwards from the start of the Common Era (C.E.).
Examples
- Adverb:
- The philosopher Confucius was born around 551 B.C.E.
- This artifact dates from the 5th century B.C.E.
- The war ended in 31 B.C.E.
Advanced Usage
- Academic and Secular Contexts: "B.C.E." is commonly used in academic, historical, and interfaith publications to maintain a neutral, non-religious chronological framework.
- Paired with C.E.: It is the counterpart to "C.E." (Common Era), which replaces "A.D." (Anno Domini). Together, they form the B.C.E./C.E. dating system.
- The transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age occurred around 1200 B.C.E. to 600 B.C.E.
Variants and Related Words
- B.C.: (Before Christ) The traditional, Christianity-associated abbreviation with the same chronological meaning as B.C.E.
- C.E.: (Common Era) The secular abbreviation for the period starting from year 1, replacing A.D.
- A.D.: (Anno Domini) The traditional abbreviation for the period starting from year 1 in the Christian calendar.
Synonyms
- Before Christ (B.C.): The religiously oriented equivalent term.
- Before the Common Era: The full, unabbreviated form of "B.C.E."
Notes on Usage
- Punctuation: It is standard to write the abbreviation with periods after each letter (B.C.E.).
- Capitalization: All letters are capitalized.
- Context: While "B.C.E." and "B.C." refer to identical points in time, the choice between them often depends on the desired tone (secular vs. traditional) and the intended audience of the text.
Adverb
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of the period before the Common Era; preferred by some writers who are not Christians
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in 200 BCE
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