# BC/AD Year Dating Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bc-ad-year-dating-question/966146 "2022-06-14T03:21:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bc-ad-year-dating-question/966146/1 "2022-06-14T03:21:46Z")
I was reading about the philosopher Seneca the Younger who was born in 4 BC and died in 65 AD. According to Wikipedia, BC and AD usage wasn’t around at the time Seneca was alive. “There is no year zero in this scheme; thus the year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC. This dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus of Scythia Minor, but was not widely used until the 9th century .” So in Seneca’s day, what year would he have said he was born, and what year would they have said he died? Would Senaca have said he was born in the 23rd year of Caesar Agustus’ reign, and would they have said he died in the 11th year of Nero’s reign, or did the Romans have a more sophisticated way to count years like we do today? --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bc-ad-year-dating-question/966146)._