A timeline of a life: years, BCE and CE
A timeline shows important dates in order. BCE means before the Common Era. CE means the Common Era, our usual years. For BCE years we count backwards: a bigger number is earlier. So 1300 BCE is earlier than 1290 BCE. For CE years the bigger number is later: 2015 CE is later than 1998 CE. To find ages or gaps we subtract. For BCE: age = birth year − year (1300 − 1290 = 10). For CE: age = year − birth year. We do not cross from BCE to CE in this lesson. The Project in your book (pages 107 and 108) makes a timeline of a famous ruler: read it with a grown-up and draw your own timeline, but do not copy its dates. Our timeline is of an invented stonecutter named Ameny. All dates are invented.
| Year | What happened to Ameny (invented) | Age |
|---|---|---|
| 1300 BCE | Ameny was born in a village. | 0 |
| 1290 BCE | He became a helper to a stonecutter. | 10 |
| 1270 BCE | He became a master stonecutter. | 30 |
| 1260 BCE | He taught young workers. | 40 |
| 1240 BCE | He died. | 60 |
Ameny was born in 1300 BCE. In 1290 BCE he became a helper to a stonecutter. In 1270 BCE he became a master stonecutter. In 1260 BCE he taught young workers. He died in 1240 BCE. Remember, for BCE years we count backwards.
| Year (CE) | Event |
|---|---|
| 1975 | The school opened. |
| 1998 | A library was built. |
| 2015 | A computer room opened. |
| 2026 | Now |
Ameny was born in 1300 BCE. How old was he in 1290 BCE?
We subtract: 1300 minus 1290 is 10.
And the school: 2026 minus 1975?
That is 51 years.
My timeline. The child makes a timeline of an invented person (or of their own school life) with five dates in order, writes what happened under each date and works out two ages or gaps. Then the child writes a paragraph of 60 to 80 words using then, later and now, and checks that the dates are in the right order.