Dr. D. Y.

Patil College of Engineering and Innovation

Department of First-Year Engineering

ASSIGNMENT 2
NAME: TEJAS VASANT PAWAR

CLASS: FE DIV: C ROLL NO.: 47

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF: MR. SANDESH PATIL

SIGNATURE DATE OF PERFORMANCE:

Department of First-Year Engineering

A REPORT ON:
Comparing and Contrasting the BC/CE Dating System with Other
Historical Dating Systems

FOR PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE FIRST-YEAR

INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM

1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 1

2. BC/CE DATING SYSTEM................................................................................................ 2

3. ISLAMIC(HIJRI) CALENDER........................................................................................ 3

4. CHINESE CALENDER.................................................................................................... 4

5. HINDU (SAKA) CALENDER.......................................................................................... 5

6. MAYAN CALENDER....................................................................................................... 6

7. CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................. 7

8. REFERENCES............................................................................................................... 8
1.0 INTRODUCTION

The BC/CE dating system and compare it with other historical dating systems.When it comes
to measuring the dates, the Gregorian calendar is followed. It was first used in the Western
Christian tradition & then it was used all over the world irrespective of religious, cultural
& linguistic boundaries. It’s also called the Gregorian calendar, which is based on Jesus
Christ’s supposed birth date.
The Gregorian calendar is the global standard for the measurement of dates. Despite
originating in the Western Christian tradition, its use has spread throughout the world and
now transcends religious, cultural and linguistic boundaries.As most people are aware, the
Gregorian calendar is based on the supposed birth date of Jesus Christ. Subsequent years
count up from this event and are accompanied by either AD or CE, while preceding years
count down from it and are accompanied by either BC or BCE
An important reason for adopting BCE/CE is religious neutrality. Since the Gregorian calendar
has superseded other calendars to become the international standard, members of non-
Christian groups may object to the explicitly Christian origins of BC and AD. Particularly
problematic is AD (“in the year of the Lord”), and its unavoidable implication that the
Lord in question is Jesus Christ.
Religious neutrality was the main rationale behind Jewish academics’ adoption of BCE/CE
over a century ago, and continues to be its most widely cited justification. However, others
object to the BC/AD system on the basis that it is objectively inaccurate. It is widely
accepted that the actual birth of Jesus occurred at least two years before AD 1, and so some
argue that explicitly linking years to an erroneous birthdate for Jesus is arbitrary or even
misleading. BCE/CE avoids this inaccuracy since it does not explicitly refer to the birth of
Jesus, removing some of the baggage associated with our dating system while also
acknowledging that the starting point for 1 CE is essentially a convention.

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2.0 BC/CE DATING SYSTEM

BC (Before Christ) and CE (Common Era) are based on the Gregorian calendar.
Year 1 CE marks the traditionally recognized birth year of Jesus Christ.To compare and
contrast the Before Christ/Common Era (BC/CE) dating system with other historical
dating systems from different cultures, you can group the analysis into the following
categories: Judaism (Hebrew calendar), Islam (Hijri calendar), Mayan calendar, and
Ancient Egypt (Pharaoh-based chronology), examining how each system determines its
starting point, the basis for year counting, and key differences from the BC/CE system
Based on the presumed birth year of Jesus Christ, with "Before Christ" (BC) referring to
years before his birth and "Common Era" (CE) signifying years after. CE means common
(or current) era”, while BCE means ”before the common (or current) era”. CE & BCE
have a shorter history than BC & AD, dating from the early 1700s. It has been used by
The Jewish academics for more than 100 years, but in the later part of the 20th century, it
became more widespread, replacing BC / AD in many fields, especially science &
academia CE refers to Common Era, works the same as AD does, but it does not have any
religious link, so it is used by the ones who follow the Gregorian calendar or study history
in school, but do not prefer using AD.As there are many English speakers in the world
who are members of other faiths, apart from Christianity so marking all calendars based
on a single religion doesn’t make sense. That’s why CE is a more inclusive way to say
AD

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3.0 ISLAMIC(HIJRI) CALENDER

The Islamic year shifts earlier in the civil year by about 11 days each year The Islamic
calendar is used to determine the dates of Islamic holidays and rituals The Islamic calendar is
used in almost all countries where Islam is the predominant religion For central Arabia,
especially Mecca, there is a lack of epigraphical evidence but details are found in the writings
of Muslim authors of the Abbasid era. Inscriptions of the ancient South Arabian calendars
reveal the use of a number of local calendars. At least some of these South Arabian calendars
followed the lunisolar system. Both al-Biruni and al-Mas'udi suggest that the ancient Arabs
used the same month names as the Muslims, though they also record other month names used
by the pre-Islamic Arabs.]
The Islamic tradition is unanimous in stating that Arabs of Tihamah, Hejaz, and Najd
distinguished between two types of months, permitted (ḥalāl) and forbidden (ḥarām) months.
The forbidden months were four months during which fighting is forbidden, listed as Rajab
and the three months around the pilgrimage season, Dhu al-Qa‘dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and
Muharram.[6] A similar if not identical concept to the forbidden months is also attested by
Procopius, where he describes an armistice that the Eastern Arabs of the Lakhmid al-Mundhir
respected for two months in the summer solstice of 541 CE.[However, Muslim historians do
not link these months to a particular season. The Qur'an links the four forbidden months with
Nasī', a word that literally means "postponement". According to Muslim tradition, the
decision of postponement was administered by the tribe of Kinanah,by a man known as the
al-Qalammas of Kinanah and his descendants (pl. qalāmisa).

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4.0 CHINESE CALENDER

The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar that uses the cycles of the moon and sun to mark
seasons and holidays. It's one of the oldest calendars in the world. Used to determine the
timing of Chinese New YearUsed to mark holidays, such as the Moon Festival.
Used for social and agricultural purposesThe traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the
Han dynasty, is a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social and
agricultural purposes. While modern China primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for official
purposes, the traditional calendar remains culturally significant.
Chinese Zodiac still widely observed.The traditional Chinese calendar uses the sexagenary
cycle, a repeating system of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, to mark years, months, and
days. This system, along with astronomical observations and mathematical calculations, was
developed to align solar and lunar cycles, though some approximations are necessary due to the
natural differences between these cycles. Over centuries, the calendar was refined through
advancements in astronomy and horology, with dynasties introducingThe Chinese calendar
system has a long history, which has traditionally been associated with specific dynastic
periods.

The Chinese calendar is lunar-solar, its year consisting of 12 months of alternately 29 and 30
days, equal to 354 days, or approximately 12 full lunar cycles. Intercalary months have been
inserted to keep the calendar year in step with the solar year of about 365 days. Months are
referred to by number within a year and sometimes also by a series of 12 animal names that
from ancient times have been attached to years and to hours of the day and that comprise the
Chinese zodiac. These names in order are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep,
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monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

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5.0 HINDU (SAKA) CALENDER

The Saka calendar is used in news broadcasts by All India Radio, and in calendars and
official communications issued by the Government of India. The Indian national calendar,
also called the Shaka calendar or Śaka calendar, is a solar calendar that is used alongside the
Gregorian calendar by The Gazette of India, in news broadcasts by All India Radio, and in
calendars and official communications issued by the Government of India.[1] It was adopted
in 1957 following
the recommendation of the Calendar Reform Committee.Senior Indian Astrophysicist
Meghnad Saha was the head of the Calendar Reform Committee under the aegis of the
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.[c] It was Saha's effort which led to the
formation of the committee in 1952. The task before the committee was to prepare an accurate
calendar based on scientific study, which could be adopted uniformly throughout India. The
committee had to undertake a detailed study of thirty different calendars prevalent in different
parts of the country. The task was further complicated by the integration of those calendars
with religion and local sentiments.
"They (different calendars) represent past political divisions in the country ... . Now that we
have attained Independence, it is obviously desirable that there should be a certain uniformity
in the calendar for our civic, social, and other purposes, and this should be done on a scientific
approach to this problem."Usage started officially on 1 Chaitra 1879 Saka Era, or 22 March
1957. However, despite the government's attempts to propagate the calendar through official
Rashtriya Panchangs, the Indian national calendar did not find acceptance with general public,
and current

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 6.0 MAYAN CALENDER

The Mayan calendar was a complex and accurate dating system used by the ancient Mayan
civilization. It was based on a cycle of 260 days and a 365-day year. The Maya used three
calendars in parallel: the Long Count, the Tzolkin, and the Haab. The Maya calendar is a
system of calendars used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and in many modern communities in
the Guatemalan highlands, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico.
The essentials of the Maya calendar are based upon a system which had been in common use
throughout the region, dating back to at least the 5th century BC. It shares many aspects with
calendars employed by other earlier Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Zapotec and
Olmec and contemporary or later ones such as the Mixtec and Aztec calendars.
By the Maya mythological tradition, as documented in Colonial Yucatec accounts and
reconstructed from Late Classic and Postclassic inscriptions, the deity Itzamna is frequently
credited with bringing the knowledge of the calendrical system to the ancestral Maya, along
with writing in general and other foundational aspects of Mayan culture.[4The Maya calendar
(and time keeping in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica) is a fascinating, but poorly understood topic
that has gathered much interest in recent years (particularly around 2012). In this article, I will
explain how the Maya calendar works and how to read

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7.0 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the BC/CE dating system, rooted in the Gregorian calendar, has become a
globally standardized method for marking historical events. Its widespread adoption is
largely due to its association with the Gregorian calendar, which is internationally
recognized for civil and historical purposes. However, this system is not without its
limitations, particularly in its Eurocentric origins, as it centers on the birth of Jesus Christ as
a pivotal point in history. This can be seen as exclusionary or irrelevant to cultures and
civilizations that do not share this religious or cultural framework. Despite this, the BC/CE
system's simplicity and universality have made it a practical tool for historians and scholars
worldwide, facilitating cross-cultural comparisons and a shared understanding of historical
timelines.
Comparatively, other historical dating systems, such as the Islamic Hijri calendar, the
Chinese lunar calendar, or the Hindu Saka era, reflect the cultural, religious, and
astronomical traditions of their respective societies. For instance, the Hijri calendar, which
begins with the migration of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, is deeply tied to
Islamic history and religious practices. Similarly, the Chinese lunar calendar, which
integrates both lunar and solar cycles, is central to traditional festivals and agricultural
practices in East Asia. These systems highlight the diversity of human civilizations and
their unique ways of conceptualizing time. While they may not be as globally standardized
as the BC/CE system, they remain vital to the cultural identity and historical continuity of
the communities that use them.

8.0 REFERENCE

1. Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Era
2. geeksforgeeks:https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/bc-and-ad-bce-and-ce-whats-
the- difference/

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