What is "bc"?

BC stands for Before Christ and is commonly used in historical and archaeological contexts to refer to dates and events that occurred before the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a way of counting years in the Gregorian calendar and is the opposite of AD, which stands for Anno Domini (Latin for "in the year of our Lord") and is used to denote years after the birth of Christ.

The use of BC dates back to the 17th century when it was first introduced by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus. He was tasked with calculating the date of Easter for the Christian church and decided to use the birth of Jesus as a reference point. However, it wasn't until the 18th century that the BC/AD dating system became widely accepted and used throughout the Western world.

BC is a vital tool for historians and archaeologists as it allows them to accurately date events and artifacts from ancient times. By using BC, they can create a timeline of human history and track the development of civilizations, cultures, and societies. For example, the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is estimated to have occurred around 2560 BC, while the founding of Rome is believed to have taken place in 753 BC.

One of the challenges of using BC is that it can be confusing for people who are not familiar with the dating system. Some may mistakenly believe that BC counts backward from zero, but in reality, it counts down from the year 1 BC to earlier years. For example, 100 BC is a century before the beginning of the Christian era, not 100 years before the birth of Christ.

In recent years, there has been a push to use alternative terms to BC and AD in order to make the dating system more inclusive and culturally neutral. One proposed alternative is BCE (Before Common Era) for BC and CE (Common Era) for AD. This change is seen as a way to remove the religious connotations of BC and AD and make the dating system more accessible to people of all faiths and backgrounds.

While the use of BCE and CE has gained popularity in academic and cultural circles, BC and AD remain the most widely recognized and accepted terms for dating years in the Gregorian calendar. They are deeply ingrained in our cultural and historical traditions and are likely to continue being used for the foreseeable future.

In conclusion, BC is an essential tool for historians and archaeologists to date events and artifacts from ancient times. It provides a common reference point for tracking human history and understanding the development of civilizations. Despite some calls for alternative terms, BC and AD remain the dominant dating system in the Western world and are likely to continue being used for the foreseeable future.