How to Read a Timeline What is a

How to Read a Timeline

What is a timeline? A graphic representation of the passage of time as a line.

Words about Time • • • Circa – about or approximately Decade – a period of 10 years Century- a period of 100 years Ancient – relating to a period long past Modern – relating to present or recent times

In determining how far apart two dates on a timeline are…remember these rules! • 1. When BOTH dates are in B. C. or A. D. you subtract (Same=Subtract) • 2. When one date is B. C. and one date is A. D. you add (Different=Add)

Same=Subtract • B. C. and B. C. • A. D. and A. D. 500 B. C. - 200 B. C. 300 years apart 1890 A. D. - 1750 A. D. 140 years apart

Different=Add • B. C. and A. D. 1991 A. D. + 300 B. C. 2291 years apart

Practice • Put these dates in order: AD 2012 35 BC 155 BC AD 192 2012 BC AD 1 • How many years apart are the following dates? 500 BC to AD 1400 AD 1950 to AD 105 1000 BC to 1 BC SAME SUBTRACT OR DIFFERENT ADD!!!!!

Another important skill is to find out how many complete decades between two events • Decade=10 years • First you subtract or add using rules #1 and #2 • Then you drop the LAST DIGIT of your total number years apart.

Examples 500 B. C. - 200 B. C. 300 years apart * Cross out the last digit 300, the years were 30 decades apart 1991 A. D. - 300 B. C. 2291 years apart • Cross out the last digit in 2291, the years were 229 decades apart

Another important skill is to find out how many complete Centuries between two events • Century=100 years • First you subtract or add using rules #1 and #2 • Then you drop the LAST TWO DIGITS of your total number years apart.

Examples 500 B. C. - 200 B. C. 300 years apart * Cross out the last two digits 300, the years were 3 centuries apart 1991 A. D. - 300 B. C. 2291 years apart • Cross out the last two digits in 2291, the years were 22 centuries apart

One final skill… In what century did an event take place • You may have heard that we are living in the 21 st century, but how was this number determined? – Year 1 A. D. -99 A. D. was the 1 st century – Year 100 A. D. – 199 A. D. was the 2 nd century – Rules to finding this. . • Cross out the last two digits of the number, count up one more ( ALWAYS ROUND UP) • Examples: 304 A. D. = 4 th century 1556 A. D. = 16 th century 1994 A. D. = 20 th century 2011 A. D. = 21 st Century

Now you try… 1. Put these dates in order from first to last… 400 B. C. 1980 A. D. 10 A. D. 2246 B. C 120 A. D. 2. How many years separate each of the following dates? 30 B. C. to 300 A. D. 1750 A. D. to 1900 A. D. 500 B. C. to 500 A. D. 800 B. C. to 500 A. D 430 B. C. to 2 A. D. 3. How many Decades separate each of the following dates? 1450 A. D. to 1500 A. D. 320 B. C. to 330 A. D. 1800 A. D. to 1890 A. D. 160 B. C. to 230 B. C. 170 B. C. to 1750 A. D. 4. In what century are these dates? 1886 150 10 1530 2004

Now you try… 1. Put these dates in order from first to last… 1099 B. C. 1650 A. D. 30 A. D. 220 B. C 2011 A. D. 2. How many years separate each of the following dates? 35 B. C. to 200 A. D. 1245 A. D. to 1899 A. D. 300 B. C. to 300 A. D. 850 B. C. to 200 B. C. 2050 B. C. to 2 A. D. 3. How many Decades separate each of the following dates? 1950 A. D. to 1500 A. D. 1320 B. C. to 330 A. D. 4. How many Centuries separate the following dates? 1600 B. C. to 2030 B. C. 1700 B. C. to 1750 A. D. 378 B. C. to 2003 A. D. 1252 A. D. to 1999 A. D. 5. In what century are these dates? 1852 250 37 1010 2011