Calendars and time
Before Common Era
Direct answer
Before Common Era: Before Common Era, abbreviated BCE, labels years before 1 CE using the same backward numbering as BC.
BCE is the inclusive label for years numbered before the Common Era.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Related
- Common Era, Astronomical Year Numbering, Calendar, Julian Date
BCE is the inclusive label for years numbered before the Common Era.
A cycle or timeline schematic for comparing the named timekeeping concept.
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The story behind Before Common Era
BCE became widespread in scholarship as an alternative label parallel to the older BC notation.
Why Before Common Era matters
Before Common Era keeps historical year numbers interoperable while avoiding ambiguity about the era notation being used.
Before Common Era in practice: an example
1 BCE is immediately followed by 1 CE in traditional historical numbering.
Where readings of Before Common Era go wrong
It is a mistake to insert year zero between BCE and CE unless explicitly switching to astronomical year numbering.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Introduction to Calendars - Official overview of calendar systems, leap rules, eras, and historical calendar reform.
- ISO: ISO 8601 Date and Time Format - Standards-body overview of unambiguous international date and time representations.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Handle the era boundary correctly
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More in Calendars & Timekeeping
- Common Year
- Earth Rotation Angle
- Greenwich Sidereal Time
- Julian Century
- Mean Solar Day
- Regnal Year
- Terrestrial Time
- Year Zero
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Common questions
What is Before Common Era?
Before Common Era, abbreviated BCE, labels years before 1 CE using the same backward numbering as BC.
What do people get wrong about Before Common Era?
It is a mistake to insert year zero between BCE and CE unless explicitly switching to astronomical year numbering.
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