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years were numbered to count backward to indicate the number of years an event had occurred “before Christ” or “B.C.”

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15y ago

Because we do not know exactly when time started, we cannot always count upward. Using the birth of Jesus as an arbitrary measurement, the years form a numberline. This allows us to count backwards for as long as we want without reaching a limit or running out of numbers to use.

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15y ago

BC years ("Before Christ") are counting down to the birth of Jesus Christ, and AD years ("Anno Domini", after his birth) are counting the years after the birth of Jesus.

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Q: Why does the dates go backwards in BC?
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Related questions

What year comes before 1 BC?

2 B.C.The years before 1 AD go backwards; 2 BC was before 1 BC, 3 BC was before 2 BC, and so on. After 1 AD, the years go forward; 1, 2, 3....(We are in the year 2011 A.D.)


When did Egyptian civilization begin with the union of upper and lower Egypt?

Circa 3150 BC (this date is largely based on working backwards from known dates)


Is 1200 BC before 776 BC?

Yes it was. The years BC count backwards to the year 1 BC (12000, 11999, 11998 etc)


What year came after 184 BC?

The year that comes after 184 BC is 183 BC.


Who is older someone born in 1760 BCE or 1450 BCE?

Someone who is born in 1760 Bc. because in BC. the dates go backwards. For example, lets say someone was 33yrs old and they were born in 1200BC. And their mom is 53yrs old. and she was born in 999Bc. She is older. Do you get it? If not to get more info. search in by ask.com. Hope it helped! :)


What goes first on a time line 450 BC or 500 BC?

500 BC would go first on a timeline before 450 BC.


Is the year 460 bc before 370 bc?

Yes because in BC it goes backwards meaning that 50BC is closer to present day than 500BC


Does BC go backwards?

Yes, prior to the birth of Jesus Christ years counted backwards.....30 B.C. stands for 30 years Before Christ


Why are BC dates are counted backwards?

It is a countdown to the birth of your savior. 10 BC is ten years before the birth of christ. 9 BC is nine years before the birth of christ, etc. In the Christian world the year is 2012 AD. If you are Muslim the year is 1433 AH. The AD and AH originated from Latin and indicate after birth, not after death.


Is 442 BC before or after 384 BC?

BC (also BCE) is before CE, which is a secular form of the suffix AD.BC = Before ChristBCE = Before Current Era (same years as BC)AD = Anno Domini (Year of our Lord, i.e. year after Christ)CE = Current Era (same years as AD)


Which one is earlier - 30000 BC or 10000 BC?

6,000 BC is earlier. A timeline works like so: the "J" represents the birth of Christ, which is the event which separates BC and AD. From the "J" forward is where we are now. The numbers increase 0 to 2011. From the "J" backwards the number decreases 0 to (whenever the world began). Therefore 6,000 BC come before 3,000BC. BC_____________________________J___________________________________ AD


Why does bc years go backwards?

BC means before christ. It is a time (I think incorrectly) denoted as the year the christian prophet, Jesus. Any time before this is said to be 1 year before christ, 2 years before christ etc