1. How can we use timelines as a tool for studying history?
Do now: Fill in the blanks.
A Decade = _____________ years
A Millennium =____________ years
A Century= ____________years 10
1,000
100
Create a timeline of your life, labeling 5 important events of your life.
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2. *NOTES*
B.C. (before Christ) refers to the time period before Christ was born. It is also known as B.C.E. (Before the Common Era
A.D. (from the Latin words Anno Domini-meaning “in the year of our Lord”) refers to the years from the birth of Christ up to the present. Instead of A.D, many writers and historians now use C.E., meaning the “Common Era”.
How should present time (Sept 3, 2014) be identified? B.C. or A.D.?

3. <_____________________ 0______________________>
Common Timeline Terms
<_____________________ 0______________________>
Before Zero
BC – Before Christ
BCE – Before the Common
Era
1st Century BC, etc.
After Zero
AD – Anno Domini
CE – Common Era
1st Century through the 21st
Century

4. Directions: Create another timeline in your notebook
Directions: Create another timeline in your notebook. Put the events & dates in chronological order from the earliest to the most recent. (5 minutes)
500 B.C. Persian Wars begin
520 A.D Mohammed the Prophet is born
1800 B.C. Hebrews migrate to Egypt
1291 A.D. Crusades end
1760 B.C. Shang Family rules China
20__ A.D. YOU WERE BORN
1800 B.C.
____________________________________________________
1760 B.C.
500 B.C.
520 A.D.
1291 A.D.
1993 A.D.

5. Common Timeline Terms
1 – 100 AD = 1st Century AD
101 – 200 AD = 2nd Century AD
201 – 300 AD = 3rd Century AD
1 – 100 BC = 1st Century BC
101 – 200 BC = 2nd Century BC
201 – 300 BC = 3rd Century BC

6. Working with the Terms
What century are we in now? The 21st Century
What century was the year 451 AD in? The 5th Century
What century was the year 33 BC in? The 1st Century BC
How long ago was 450 BC? = 2464
How many years passed from 45 BCE to 45 CE?
= 90

7. SAMPLE MULTIPLE CHOICE
Which groups of dates is arranged in correct chronological order?
B. 123 B.C., 124 B.C., 18 B.C., 1985 A.D.
C. 37 B.C., 38 B.C., 98 A.D., 1995 A.D.
D. 557 A.D., 234 B.C., 56 A.D., 22 B.C.
A. 567 B.C., 214 B.C., 567 A.D., 1865 A.D.