B.c.e. for Dummies

B.c.e stands for "Before the Common Era." It is a way to refer to the years that happened before the year 1. You know, when we talk about the past, we usually use "B.C." which means "Before Christ", but some people prefer to use "B.c.e." instead of B.C. because it is more inclusive and doesn't focus on a specific religious belief. So, when we say a date like 300 B.c.e., it means 300 years before the common era began.

You might be wondering, what is this "common era" thing? Well, the common era is the period of time that we are living in right now. It starts with the year 1 and goes on and on. People usually use C.E. to refer to years that have happened after the year 1. So, when we say a date like 2022 C.E., it means 2022 years after the common era began.

Let me compare it to something else so it becomes clearer for you. Imagine you have a pizza. You can slice the pizza into two halves, right? One half can represent the years that happened before the year 1, and the other half can represent the years that happened after the year 1. The half with the years before the year 1 is usually called B.c.e., and the half with the years after the year 1 is usually called C.E. That's a simple way to understand it!

So, in a nutshell, B.c.e. is just a way to talk about the years that happened before the common era began. It is an alternative to using B.C., and it is more inclusive and neutral. It's similar to slicing a pizza into halves to represent time. I hope that helps you understand it better!