Years preceding AD 1 are numbered using the BC era, avoiding zero or negative numbers. B.C. (or BC) – meaning Before Christ. Used for years before AD 1, counting backwards so the year n BC is n years before AD 1. Thus there is no year 0.

How do they determine BC years?

In the modern calendar, we label all years with B.C. (before Christ) or A.D. (anno domini, or in the year of our lord). There is no zero year -- in this system, the year Christ was born is 1 A.D., and the year preceding it is 1 B.C.

Are years in BC counted backwards?

B.C. or B.C.E.? Many people use the abbreviations B.C. and A.D. with a year (for example, A.D. 2012). According to this system, we count time backwards Before the Common Era (B.C.E.) and forwards in the Common Era (C.E.).

What was the last BC year?

The 1st century BC, also known as the last century BC, started on the first day of 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC.

Who was born in Year 1?

For Dionysius, the birth of Christ represented Year One. He believed that this occurred 753 years after the foundation of Rome.