BCE\CE

Dear Colleagues,
I thank you all very much for the interesting discussion about the question
I asked on the use of BCE and CE, which taught me a lot.  I think that there
is still much to investigate concerning the actual use of this or other
kinds of chronology by historians and not. In this sense I'd like to offer
you some exemples from european countries. In Italy since the XIXth century
two expression came into use among historians to define the period after
the birth of Jesus: "era volgare" (= people's era) and "nostra era" (= our
era).
Something also very close to "common era". But - as far as I know - this
didn't mean that the years' definition changed: d.C. (after Christ)
remained - and remains -
the only form in use. In Germany on the contrary another definition was
used: in fact instead of "n. Chr."  it is possible to find "v. u. Z.", that
means "vor unserer Zeitrechnung" (= before our count of time). An exemple
can be
seen in Berlin's Pergamon Museum.
I don't know the ideology underlying these definitons. Anyway the question
nowadays is a political(ly correct) one, that is to avoid eurocentrism and
the reference to Christendom.  I agree with this aim, but I don't find the
solution BCE\CE quite satisfying, because it hides and at the same time
makes normal the reference to Christ. This is a hidden eurocentrism, perhaps
worse than the offen one. In this sense I'd like better to keep on referring
to Christ, as an historically determined use. But also here I find
unconfortable, because this religious reference is very heavy. So I have no
solution and I can't imagine which solution will be adopted in the future.
But I'm quite sure that the problem will be at stake for a long time.



Luigi Cajani
Dipartimento di storia moderna e contemporanea
Facolta' di Lettere e Filosofia
Universita' di Roma "La Sapienza"
piazzale A. Moro, 5
00185 Roma
Italia
fax + 39 06 4450740