# Before AD?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-ad/5744>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 3, 2000, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-ad/5744 "2000-01-03T19:13:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2000, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-ad/5744/1 "2000-01-04T06:40:00Z")

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How did people measure the years before our common era? Obviously they did not count down to -1 and then restart again at +1. What would they have called our 1500 B.C.? I also suppose that this will vary towards cultures, so I would be more interested in hearing the evolution from a European perspective.

HUGS!  
Sqrl

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Gasoline: As an accompaniement to cereal it made a refreshing change. Glen Baxter

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2000, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-ad/5744/2 "2000-01-04T06:47:00Z")

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The notable pre-CE calendars I can think of (Chinese, Roman, and Jewish) all had some benchmark date that they counted forward from.

In a interesting twist, the Christian calendar restarted the year numbering, but kept the months of the Roman Calendar.

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Everybody got to elevate from the norm - Rush

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**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2000, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-ad/5744/3 "2000-01-03T19:13:00Z")

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The Roman calendar started from the (notional) date of the founding of the City, in about 758 BC if I remember correctly. So, for example, 1 AD was Year 759 to the Romans.

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**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2000, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-ad/5744/4 "2000-01-03T19:16:00Z")

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[What year numbering system was used in the time of Christ?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_376.html)

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CSIIBITSI