Have you ever wondered why historians use BCE and CE and what they stand for? In history dating systems, the BCE and CE Meanings are “before common era” and “common era,” respectively. Read on to discover more about this religion-neutral way of writing dates and which one you should use.
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What Does BCE Mean?
As mentioned earlier, BCE is a short form for “before common era,” which refers to the time before year 1 in the Gregorian calendar. It’s an equivalent of “BC” (before Christ), a system used to label the periods believed to be before the birth of Jesus Christ.
BCE works by counting from year 1 backward, which still refers to the same Era as BC. However, publications prefer BCE to BC because of its religious neutrality (it is not focused on a single religion)
Example of BC in sentences:
- Around 750 BCE, the city of Rome was founded, marking the beginning of one of history’s greatest empires.
- The Greek poet Homer, author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, lived during the 8th century BCE.
- The Bronze Age collapse, a period of widespread societal decline, occurred around 1200 BCE.
- By 500 BCE, the teachings of Confucius had begun shaping Chinese philosophy and culture.
What Does CE Mean?
CE means “common era,” which refers to a dating system commonly used in the Gregorian and Julian calendar systems. Unlike BCE, the CE notation counts years beginning from year 1 onwards.
CE is an alternative to AD,” which stands for “Anno Domini.” This is a Latin word for “in the year of our Lord.”
Similar to BCE, some publications and writers in academics, history, and science prefer to use CE because it is more inclusive of people regardless of their faith.
Fun Fact: Christian Monk Dionysius Exiguus proposed counting years from the birth year of Jesus.
Example of CE sentences:
- Buddhism became prevalent in Asia during the 5th century CE.
- The ancient manuscript was dated to the 3rd century CE, reflecting the early development of written language.
- The event took place in 500 CE, during the early medieval period.
- Most historical records from ancient Rome date back to around 100 CE.
BCE vs CE: What’s the Difference?
The main key difference between BCE and CE is the period each one covers.
BCE reflects the time preceding year 1, which means it counts time starting from 1 year backward. The bigger the number is, the older it is. For instance, 100 BCE is more recent than 500 BCE.
CE, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Instead of counting backward from year 1, it is from year 1 onwards. So, a greater number represents the more present time.
For example, 500 CE is more recent than 100 CE, meaning a building built in 100 CE is older than a building constructed in 500 CE.
In short, BCE marks the period before year 1, while CE indicates years after year 1. This difference is also similar between BC vs AD.
Why Has the BC and AD System Been Changed to the BCE and CE System?
The switch from the BC/AD to the BCE/CE dating system was due to the desire for a more secular and inclusive way of marking time.
BC/AD had significant connections with Christianity and was deemed less convenient in global or interfaith contexts. As a result, BCE and CE were introduced – albeit there was a pushback in the adoption of the new system.
Keep in mind that while the naming of dates changed, the eras remained relatively the same. CE is equivalent to AD as both represent the same Era, counting from year 1 to date. In the same way, BCE is similar to BC as both describe years before year 1.
Fun Fact: According to Google Ngram Viewer, BC is more popular than BCE, but the latter is catching up at a rapid rate in the United States. While in countries like Australia that use British English, BC is still preferred it had a huge dip in 2011, while the transition to BCE is gaining momentum in popularity.
Should You Use BC/AD or BCE/CE?
The choice between BC/AD and BCE/CE depends on context and audience.
If you are a religious scholar specifically targeting a Christian audience, then BC/AD is a perfect system of dating. However, if you are writing for the general public, consider using BCE/CE. BCE and CE are viewed as more neutral, especially by academic, scientific, and historical institutions.
Fun Fact: The BCE/CE has existed since the 1980s.
How to Use BCE/CE?
When using BCE and CE, you should follow some standard conventions to make things clear and consistent.
According to popular style guides such as the Chicago Manual of Style, APA 7th Edition, and Modern Language Association, BCE and CE should always appear after the year, separated by a space. That means you should write dates as 500 BCE or 2024 CE, not BCE 500 or CE 2024 or even 500BCE.
Most of these significant writing styles also require you to capitalize BCE and CE. As for punctuation, the periods after the abbreviations are not necessary. However, some styles, like APA Style, allow writers to use periods after each letter. For instance, it’s correct to write “500 B.C.E.” or “2024 C.E.”
Final Thoughts
In summary, the full BCE and CE meaning is “before common era” and “common era.” BCE represents the period before year 1, while CE indicates the time after year 1. This dating system is preferred because it offers a more religious-neutral approach to labeling event dates given today’s diverse religions and cultures.
