Eli5 How was time marked BCE?

Question

Since those that lived BCE didn’t know that the years were descending, how did they mark time during that time period?

In: 0

Answer 1

For a [comparison,](https://calendars.fandom.com/wiki/Ab_urbe_condita) the Roman year 753 AUC (Ab Urbe Condita) is the 0 year marking the birth of Jesus Christ. AUC refers “From the Founding of the City (of Rome). Consequently, Christian historians in later times marked years as Anno Domini (In the year of our Lord) and BC (Before Christ).

BC / AD shifted to BCE (Before Current Era) and CE (Current Era) for a more neutral approach to year naming starting around the 1970s/80s.