1. Dating and Dividing up Time
HISTORY
Dating and Dividing up Time

2. How do we divide up time?
Historians have a number of different ways to divide up time.

3. Name the Ages Give specific periods of time different names STONE AGE
BRONZE AGE The Prehistoric Age
IRON AGE

5. THE HAN DYNASTY IN CHINA
Name of the Family
Name the time period after the family or person who ruled during that time period
THE HAN DYNASTY IN CHINA

7. A time of new ideas in art, science, literature, music, architecture
Name of an Event
Some periods of time are named after an important event or influence
THE RENAISSANCE
A time of new ideas in art, science, literature, music, architecture

8. Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ (c1487)

9. Religion
Ideas about dividing up time can be influenced by different religious beliefs

10. Time to the Muslims
Muslims count time from when Mohammed left the city of Mecca

11. Time to the Christians
To the Christians, Mohammed left Mecca in the year 622
Christians count time from the birth of Christ, 622 years before the birth of Mohammed

12. Time to the Jews
Jewish people count time from the year of the world’s creation
Therefore, the year of Christ’s birth would be 3760

13. Time to the Scientists
None of the previous dating systems recognize that the world began about 4600 million years ago and that human life began evolving about 2.25 million years ago

14. And in Australia?

15. In Australia … We use the Christian way of dividing time
The years before Christ’s birth are known as BEFORE CHRIST (BC)
The years after Christ’s birth are known as ANNO DOMINI (AD)
Latin for ‘in the year of our Lord’
NOT AFTER DEATH!

17. BC vs AD There is no year zero!
Anything that took place in the 12 months BEFORE Christ’s birth are said to have occurred in the year 1 BC
Anything that took place in the 12 months AFTER Christ’s birth are said to have occurred in the year 1 AD

19. BC vs AD
If there is uncertainty about the exact date, historians use the word CIRCA (‘about’)
Usually abbreviated to ‘c.’
‘AD’ is written before the date in question
Sometimes it is omitted for ease
‘BC’ comes after the date in question
Is never omitted!

20. But which way?
In the years BC, the bigger the number, the older the event
Numbers count down towards the birth of Christ
Birth of Christ
c.2700BC
Pyramids in
Egypt
c.1800BC
Stonehenge in England
776BC
First Olympics in Greece
44BC
Assassination of Julius Caesar

21. Neil Armstrong lands on the moon
But which way?
In the years AD, the bigger the number, the more recent the event
Numbers count upwards from the birth of Christ
Birth of Christ 79
Mt Vesuvius erupts
1066
Battle of Hastings
1348
Black death
1969
Neil Armstrong lands on the moon

22. Centuries Time can also be divided into centuries.
The first year of each century is the year 1 of that century
The last year is the year 100 of that century
CENTURY
FIRST YEAR
LAST YEAR
First century AD
AD 1
AD 100
Second century AD
AD 101
AD 200
Third century AD

24. Activities
The dates below are all AD. Write them in chronological (earliest date first) order. 61
1066
800
2009
1492
1812
1415
1788
476
1348
112
1969

25. Activities In which century did the following dates occur? AD 750
450 BC
340 BC
AD 50
AD 1605
5721 BC

26. Timelines
We often use a timeline to display events in chronological order
A timeline MUST have:
Equal divisions for each time period (100 years, 1 day, 1 year, etc)
A line to mark the change from BC to AD
Be clear and easy to read

28. Draw a timeline Draw a line 20cm long on the bottom of your page
Mark the division between BC and AD at 10cm
Put an arrow head at each end of the line
Mark a small mark at each centimetre along your line
Each centimetre represents 50 years
Write the years under each line

29. Draw a timeline
Now, put the dates below onto your timeline as accurately as possible.
AD 245
250 BC
44 BC
AD 64
321 BC
AD 322
AD 476