Question

Archaeologists may use different timescales and conventions for denoting absolute dates. Match the different dating acronyms to their correct descriptions.

A) BP - This stands for "Before Present" and is a dating convention that uses the year 1950 as a reference point.
B) BCE - This stands for "Before Common Era" and is often used as a secular equivalent to "BC."
C) CE - This stands for "Common Era" and is often used as a secular equivalent to "AD."
D) AD - This stands for "Anno Domini" and is a Latin term meaning "In the Year of Our Lord."

Answer 1

Archaeologists use different abbreviations to denote absolute dates. BP stands for Before Present and is used in conjunction with radiocarbon dating. BCE and CE are secular equivalents of BC and AD, respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

Archaeologists may use different timescales and conventions for denoting absolute dates. When it comes to dating acronyms, archaeologists often use the following abbreviations to denote different periods:

1. BP (Before Present): This dating convention uses the year 1950 as a reference point to indicate years before the present. It is commonly used in conjunction with radiocarbon dating to determine the age of organic materials.
2. BCE (Before Common Era): This stands for 'Before Common Era' and is often used as a secular equivalent to 'BC.' It is a more neutral term that is not religiously affiliated.
3. CE (Common Era): This stands for 'Common Era' and is often used as a secular equivalent to 'AD.' It is also a more neutral term that is not religiously affiliated.
4. AD (Anno Domini): This Latin term means 'In the Year of Our Lord' and is used to denote years after the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a religiously affiliated term that is commonly used in conjunction with the BC/AD dating system.