Calendars and time
Era
Direct answer
Era: An Era is a year-numbering system defined from a chosen starting event or conventional epoch.
An Era organizes numbered years from a declared reference point.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Related
- Epoch, Regnal Year, Calendar, Julian Date
An Era organizes numbered years from a declared reference point.
A cycle or timeline schematic for comparing the named timekeeping concept.
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The story behind Era
Regnal, creation-based, religious, republican, and imperial eras have all been used to identify years.
Why Era matters
The same event can receive different year numbers in calendars that use different eras.
Era in practice: an example
A date in the Common Era and a date in a regnal era may describe the same day with entirely different year labels.
Where readings of Era go wrong
It is a mistake to treat an era epoch as proof that its founding event occurred at the first instant of year one.
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.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Identify the year-numbering era
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More in Calendars & Timekeeping
- Intercalary Month
- Leap Year
- New Style Date
- Sidereal Month
- Universal Time
- Apparent Solar Day
- Calendar Year
- Double Dating
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Common questions
What is an Era?
An Era is a year-numbering system defined from a chosen starting event or conventional epoch.
What do people get wrong about an Era?
It is a mistake to treat an era epoch as proof that its founding event occurred at the first instant of year one.
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