What you need to know about… B.C. B.C. which stands for "Before Christ" –It is used for dates before year 0 (Remember, there is actually not a year zero,

What you need to know about…

B.C.B.C.

• B.C. which stands for "Before Christ"

– It is used for dates before year 0• (Remember, there is actually not a year

zero, it is just a point of reference)

A.D.

• A.D. is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase anno Domini, which means "in the year of our Lord,"

• It is used for dates after the birth of Jesus.

B.C.E & C.E

Today, however, with a growing understanding that not all archaeologists are Christians, some archaeologists prefer to use the terms:

• B.C.E - Before the Common Era– It replaces BC

• C.E. - Common Era – It replaces AD

Sometimes….

• You will see c. next to a date; it stands for circa

• For example c.2500 BC• This means around...historians are

not sure of the exact date.

A Timeline is like a Number line…

B.C. or B.C.E are like negatives A.D. or C.E are like positives

Building Timelines

Show your skills…

and communicate effectively!

A Timeline Tells a Story…

Good Timelines…• Are sequential (years and events are labeled in

correct order!)• Are easy to read (neat) because they were

PLANNED, drafted, and THEN published!• Represent periods of time in a

PROPORTIONALLY accurate way• Make effective use of color without overdoing it

• Use blank s p a c e to keep things easy to read: space on borders, space between labels… not…

all CRAMMEDtogetherandIMPOSSIBLEtoread!

Steps to make a Timeline with Scale

• 1.) Put a zero in the middle of the line (remember there is not a year zero)

• 2.) Find the oldest date listed (this will be the biggest BC or BCE Date-example 10,000BC is older than 300BC)

• 3.) Find the most recent date listed (This will be the highest AD or CE Date-example 2011AD is more recent than 200CE)

Steps to make a Timeline with Scale

• 4.) Set a scale of equal increments to space dates out evenly (we will go through this together.)

• 5.) Put dates in correct order on timeline.

• 6.) Double check your work!

Timeline Practice…

Homework Hints…

Set your scale….

1. By 100

2. By 500

3. By 50

4. By 250

5. You try it out……