Currently we use Anno Domini (A.D.) year numbering, sometimes secularized as "BCE" (Before Common Era) or "CE" (Common Era). What was the prevailing method of dating years in Western culture before this system came into use?
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Depends on who you ask. Different cultures have different dating systems. For example, both Jews and Muslims maintain a calendar which is not related to CE; many cultures maintain a calendar which "begins" with the foundation of their government or the reign of the current dynasty.– MCW ♦Commented Dec 12, 2014 at 19:41
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I only care about the Western calendar.– user8704Commented Dec 12, 2014 at 19:42
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3The use of Anno Domini ("in the year of our Lord") was first used in narrative history by Bede (although it had been used very slightly in some annals before that). It was invented, more or less, by Dionysus Exiguus (circa 470 – 544). Before Bede's use of it, there was no use of a year number in everyday use. In other words, Anno Domini dating was original. The normal mode of specifying the year before that time (8th century) was by regnal years, or consular years (Rome), or Judges/Archons/Olympiads (Greece). Note that ancient historians sometimes used the Era of Nabonassar to do synchronisms– Tyler DurdenCommented Dec 12, 2014 at 20:08
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@TylerDurden That feels like you should turn it into an answer.– Kelly ThomasCommented Dec 13, 2014 at 8:32
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3 Answers
Prior to the adoption of the Anno Domini system, the main system of naming years was to refer to them as a given regnal year of the local ruler, or of a dominant nearby ruler (eg. the Roman Emperor). Specifically in Roman-dominated areas, the year was named after the two Consuls who took office that year. In a sense, Anno Domini is simply an extension of this, counting years of the "reign" of Jesus Christ.
If the Anno Domini system hadn't been adopted, the United States might refer to the current date as "December 13 of the sixth year of the Obama Presidency", while the British would describe it as "December 13 of the 62nd year of the reign of Elizabeth II".
(This answer-comment was originally posted as a comment when the post was locked and no open for questions.)
The use of Anno Domini ("in the year of our Lord") was first used in narrative history by Bede (although it had been used very slightly in some annals before that). It was invented, more or less, by Dionysus Exiguus (circa 470 – 544). Before Bede's use of it, there was no use of a year number in everyday use in western Europe. In other words, Anno Domini dating was original. The normal mode of specifying the year before that time (8th century) was by regnal years, or consular years (Rome), or Judges/Archons/Olympiads (Greece). Note that ancient historians sometimes used the Era of Nabonassar to do synchronisms.
When Rome collapsed and the consular dates no longer could be used, the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire adopted at first the era Anno Mundi beginning on 25 March 5493 BC, developed by scholars in Alexandria around 200 A.D., and now known as the "Alexandrian Era." Anno Mundi ("year of the world") posits a "date of creation" going forward from Adam and Eve. Later, in the 7th century, the Byzantines adopted a different Anno Mundi system based on the year 5509 B.C. and beginning on September 1.
answered Dec 14, 2014 at 0:58
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The so-called era of Alexander is a misnomer for the Seleucid era, with its epoch in 313 BC, ten years after the death of Alexander.– fdbCommented Dec 18, 2014 at 15:40
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1@fdb Actually, I made a mistake. The "Alexandrian Era" of the Byzantines is different than the "Era of Alexander". I have updated my post. Commented Dec 18, 2014 at 17:29
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I'm sorry, was there a reason you reverted my referenced edit? Commented Apr 27, 2021 at 22:43
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@CMonsour Don't change the meaning of or rewrite other people's answers. If you want to make your own answer, then write your own answer. I don't like it when people put words in my mouth or try to make it look like I wrote something which I did not write. I not alone in that attitude. Commented Apr 27, 2021 at 22:53
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@TylerDurden I was just adding detail, not changing meaning, and I thought the rules here were that you should expect edits, just as you in fact edited the question above. Possibly I misunderstood. Commented Apr 27, 2021 at 22:55
Ab urbe condita, from the foundation of Rome, which is 753 BC.
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2From your very own link: "Renaissance editors sometimes added AUC to Roman manuscripts they published, giving the false impression that the Romans usually numbered their years using the AUC system. In fact, modern historians use AUC much more frequently than the Romans themselves did. The dominant method of identifying Roman years in Roman times was to name the two consuls who held office that year."– MarkCommented Dec 19, 2014 at 11:03
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1@Mark they did not use it in context of naming years from a short interval, close to the current time. But they used for instance, to describe years distant enough so that people do not remember the consuls. Also the round anniversaries from the foundation of Rome were celebrated (such as the Millenium from the foundation of Rome etc).– AnixxCommented Dec 19, 2014 at 11:07