CE stands for “common (or current) era”, while BCE stands for “before the common (or current) era”. These abbreviations have a shorter history than BC and AD, although they still date from at least the early 1700s.

What is difference between BC and BCE?

BC denotes the before christ era while BCE is neutral to any community. Like AD, both the BC and BCE is written after the year number. The 17th century is the first time of introducing the BCE/CE dating system.

What does BCE mean in years?

Simply put, BCE (Before Common Era) is a secular version of BC (before Christ). CE (Common Era) is the secular equivalent of AD (anno Domini), which means “in the year of the Lord” in Latin.