Dating in the SCA
Special Topics
by Seamas Mac Daibhid
Last Updated April XLII (2008)
Copyright © 2000, 2005, 2008, Seamas Mac Daibhid; all rights reserved.
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Society Years (A.S.) versus Current Era (C.E.) Years
The table below lists Society versus C.E. years, with some major events thrown in as time references. Are there any important or illustrative dates in SCA or mundane history you'd like to see added? If you have a good event (with exact date), please contact me. Thank you!
A.S. | May 1 - Apr 30 | Significant Stuff | Other Stuff |
I | 1966 - 1967 | First Tournament | Star Trek premieres |
II | 1967 - 1968 | | |
III | 1968 - 1969 | SCA incorporated | Star Trek cancelled |
IV | 1969 - 1970 | First Midrealm Crowns | Woodstock; moon landing |
V | 1970 - 1971 | | |
VI | 1971 - 1972 | | |
VII | 1972 - 1973 | Order of the Pelican | |
VIII | 1973 - 1974 | Principality of An Tir | |
IX | 1974 - 1975 | | Nixon resigns |
X | 1975 - 1976 | | |
XI | 1976 - 1977 | Principality of Meridies | U.S. Bicentennial |
XII | 1977 - 1978 | First Meridies Crowns | |
XIII | 1978 - 1979 | | |
XIV | 1979 - 1980 | | |
XV | 1980 - 1981 | First An Tir Crowns | Shuttle Columbia flies |
XVI | 1981 - 1982 | Principality of Calontir | Microsoft introduces MS-DOS |
XVII | 1982 - 1983 | | Jarvik artificial heart |
XVIII | 1983 - 1984 | First Calontir Crowns | Grenada invaded |
XIX | 1984 - 1985 | | First MTV Video Music Awards |
XX | 1985 - 1986 | Kingdom of Trimaris | Wreck of Titanic located |
XXI | 1986 - 1987 | Shire of Smythkepe founded | |
XXII | 1987 - 1988 | | Star Trek: Next Generation premieres |
XXIII | 1988 - 1989 | Smythkepe achieves Shire status | Wrigley Field gets lights |
XXIV | 1989 - 1990 | | Berlin Wall falls |
XXV | 1990 - 1991 | | |
XXVI | 1991 - 1992 | | |
XXVII | 1992 - 1993 | | |
XXVIII | 1993 - 1994 | BoD adopts "Pay-to-Play" | |
XXIX | 1994 - 1995 | BoD abolishes "Pay-to-Play" | ST: Next Generation ends |
XXX | 1995 - 1996 | | |
XXXI | 1996 - 1997 | | |
XXXII | 1997 - 1998 | Principality of Gleann Abhann | |
XXXIII | 1998 - 1999 | | |
XXXIV | 1999 - 2000 | | Y2K does not end civilization |
XXXV | 2000 - 2001 | | TMA-1 monolith found on Luna |
XXXVI | 2001 - 2002 | SCAdia.org goes live | World Trade Center destroyed |
XXXVII | 2002 - 2003 | | |
XXXVIII | 2003 - 2004 | | |
XXXIX | 2004 - 2005 | Kingdom of Gleann Abhann | |
XL | 2005 - 2006 | | |
XLI | 2006 - 2007 | | |
XLII | 2007 - 2008 | | |
XLIII | 2008 - 2009 | | |
XLIV | 2009 - 2010 | | |
XLV | 2010 - 2011 | | |
XLVI | 2011 - 2012 | | |
XLVII | 2012 - 2013 | | |
XLVIII | 2013 - 2014 | | |
XLIX | 2014 - 2015 | | |
L | 2015 - 2016 | | |
LI | 2016 - 2017 | SCA 50th Anniversary | |
| | | |
Roman Numerals
The common form of Roman numbering uses letters in the Roman alphabet as numerals which represent numbers from 1 to 1000. The individual letters and their values are:
- I – one
- V – five
- X – ten
- L – fifty
- C – one hundred
- D – five hundred
- M – one thousand
A Roman numeral can contain one each of V, L, and D, and up to four each of I, X, and C. In general, Roman numerals are written in order of decreasing character value from left to right, and the value of a Roman number is the sum of all of the individual characters which make it up. Thus, MCCXXVIII represents 1000+200+20+5+3 or 1228.
However, subtraction is used in some cases to shorten the Roman number. When a character falls just before one of a larger value, the smaller value is subtracted from the larger while finding the total value. Only certain standard pairs of subtracted values are widely accepted:
- IV – four
- IX – nine
- XL – forty
- XC – ninety
- CD – four hundred
- CM – nine hundred
The subtracted pair will follow any larger value, so that 19 is written XIX and 1400 is written MCD Modern usage prefers such standard pairs for brevity, but period usage includes creating Roman numbers only by addition, so that both IIII and IV are acceptable representations for 4, and LXXXX and XC are acceptable representations for 90.
Variants such as XIIX for 18 or VV for 10 sometimes appear, but are not common. Usages such as VC for 95 or MIM for 1999 are considered distinctly improper.
Several other characters were sometimes used in period (in fact, were probably invented in period) to shorten the common notation, such as N for 90 or P for 400, but these are not widely known and should probably be avoided. There are also various systems for values larger than 1000, but these are also not widely known, and often involve character forms that can be difficult to represent typographically. For instance, drawing a horizontal line above a character represents multiplying that character's value by 1000, so that X represents 10,000 and M represents 1,000,000.
For each of the following buttons, convert the Roman or Arabic number given to its corresponding value of the other type. Then click on the button to see the conversion calculation and its result.
VIII
14
XIX
34
XLVII
493
DCLXVI
1066
MCLXXXIX
1492
MDLVIII
1582
MCMLXVI
1999
MMIX
An SCA Year in Roman Counting
This chart gives a complete SCA calendar year, using the Roman style of counting dates from the Kalends, Nones, or Ides of each month.
May 1 | Kalends May |
May 2 | 6 Nones May |
: | : |
May 5 | 3 Nones May |
May 6 | Eve Nones May |
May 7 | Nones May |
May 8 | 8 Ides May |
: | : |
May 13 | 3 Ides May |
May 14 | Eve Ides May |
May 15 | Ides May |
May 16 | 17 Kalends June |
: | : |
May 26 | 7 Kalends June |
: | : |
May 30 | 3 Kalends June |
May 31 | Eve Kalends June |
|
June 1 | Kalends June |
June 2 | 4 Nones June |
June 3 | 3 Nones June |
June 4 | Eve Nones June |
June 5 | Nones June |
June 6 | 8 Ides June |
: | : |
June 11 | 3 Ides June |
June 12 | Eve Ides June |
June 13 | Ides June |
June 14 | 18 Kalends July |
: | : |
June 24 | 8 Kalends July |
: | : |
June 29 | 3 Kalends July |
June 30 | Eve Kalends July |
|
July 1 | Kalends July |
July 2 | 6 Nones July |
: | : |
July 5 | 3 Nones July |
July 6 | Eve Nones July |
July 7 | Nones July |
July 8 | 8 Ides July |
: | : |
July 13 | 3 Ides July |
July 14 | Eve Ides July |
July 15 | Ides July |
July 16 | 17 Kalends Aug |
: | : |
July 26 | 7 Kalends Aug |
: | : |
July 30 | 3 Kalends Aug |
July 31 | Eve Kalends Aug |
|
Aug 1 | Kalends Aug |
Aug 2 | 4 Nones Aug |
Aug 3 | 3 Nones Aug |
Aug 4 | Eve Nones Aug |
Aug 5 | Nones Aug |
Aug 6 | 8 Ides Aug |
: | : |
Aug 11 | 3 Ides Aug |
Aug 12 | Eve Ides Aug |
Aug 13 | Ides Aug |
Aug 14 | 19 Kalends Sept |
: | : |
Aug 24 | 9 Kalends Sept |
: | : |
Aug 30 | 3 Kalends Sept |
Aug 31 | Eve Kalends Sept |
|
Sept 1 | Kalends Sept |
Sept 2 | 4 Nones Sept |
Sept 3 | 3 Nones Sept |
Sept 4 | Eve Nones Sept |
Sept 5 | Nones Sept |
Sept 6 | 8 Ides Sept |
: | : |
Sept 11 | 3 Ides Sept |
Sept 12 | Eve Ides Sept |
Sept 13 | Ides Sept |
Sept 14 | 18 Kalends Oct |
: | : |
Sept 24 | 8 Kalends Oct |
: | : |
Sept 29 | 3 Kalends Oct |
Sept 30 | Eve Kalends Oct |
|
Oct 1 | Kalends Oct |
Oct 2 | 6 Nones Oct |
: | : |
Oct 5 | 3 Nones Oct |
Oct 6 | Eve Nones Oct |
Oct 7 | Nones Oct |
Oct 8 | 8 Ides Oct |
: | : |
Oct 13 | 3 Ides Oct |
Oct 14 | Eve Ides Oct |
Oct 15 | Ides Oct |
Oct 16 | 17 Kalends Nov |
: | : |
Oct 26 | 7 Kalends Nov |
: | : |
Oct 30 | 3 Kalends Nov |
Oct 31 | Eve Kalends Nov |
|
Nov 1 | Kalends Nov |
Nov 2 | 4 Nones Nov |
Nov 3 | 3 Nones Nov |
Nov 4 | Eve Nones Nov |
Nov 5 | Nones Nov |
Nov 6 | 8 Ides Nov |
: | : |
Nov 11 | 3 Ides Nov |
Nov 12 | Eve Ides Nov |
Nov 13 | Ides Nov |
Nov 14 | 18 Kalends Dec |
: | : |
Nov 24 | 8 Kalends Dec |
: | : |
Nov 29 | 3 Kalends Dec |
Nov 30 | Eve Kalends Dec |
|
Dec 1 | Kalends Dec |
Dec 2 | 4 Nones Dec |
Dec 3 | 3 Nones Dec |
Dec 4 | Eve Nones Dec |
Dec 5 | Nones Dec |
Dec 6 | 8 Ides Dec |
: | : |
Dec 11 | 3 Ides Dec |
Dec 12 | Eve Ides Dec |
Dec 13 | Ides Dec |
Dec 14 | 19 Kalends Jan |
: | : |
Dec 24 | 9 Kalends Jan |
: | : |
Dec 30 | 3 Kalends Jan |
Dec 31 | Eve Kalends Jan |
|
Jan 1 | Kalends Jan |
Jan 2 | 4 Nones Jan |
Jan 3 | 3 Nones Jan |
Jan 4 | Eve Nones Jan |
Jan 5 | Nones Jan |
Jan 6 | 8 Ides Jan |
: | : |
Jan 11 | 3 Ides Jan |
Jan 12 | Eve Ides Jan |
Jan 13 | Ides Jan |
Jan 14 | 19 Kalends Feb |
: | : |
Jan 24 | 9 Kalends Feb |
: | : |
Jan 30 | 3 Kalends Feb |
Jan 31 | Eve Kalends Feb |
|
Feb 1 | Kalends Feb |
Feb 2 | 4 Nones Feb |
Feb 3 | 3 Nones Feb |
Feb 4 | Eve Nones Feb |
Feb 5 | Nones Feb |
Feb 6 | 8 Ides Feb |
: | : |
Feb 11 | 3 Ides Feb |
Feb 12 | Eve Ides Feb |
Feb 13 | Ides Feb |
*Feb 14 | 16(17) Kalends Mar |
: | : |
*Feb 24 | 6(7) Kalends Mar |
: | : |
*Feb 27 | 3(4) Kalends Mar |
*Feb 28 | Eve(3) Kalends Mar |
*Feb 29 | (Eve) Kalends Mar |
|
Mar 1 | Kalends Mar |
Mar 2 | 6 Nones Mar |
: | : |
Mar 5 | 3 Nones Mar |
Mar 6 | Eve Nones Mar |
Mar 7 | Nones Mar |
Mar 8 | 8 Ides Mar |
: | : |
Mar 13 | 3 Ides Mar |
Mar 14 | Eve Ides Mar |
Mar 15 | Ides Mar |
Mar 16 | 17 Kalends Apr |
: | : |
Mar 26 | 7 Kalends Apr |
: | : |
Mar 30 | 3 Kalends Apr |
Mar 31 | Eve Kalends Apr |
|
Apr 1 | Kalends Apr |
Apr 2 | 4 Nones Apr |
Apr 3 | 3 Nones Apr |
Apr 4 | Eve Nones Apr |
Apr 5 | Nones Apr |
Apr 6 | 8 Ides Apr |
: | : |
Apr 11 | 3 Ides Apr |
Apr 12 | Eve Ides Apr |
Apr 13 | Ides Apr |
Apr 14 | 18 Kalends May |
: | : |
Apr 24 | 8 Kalends May |
: | : |
Apr 29 | 3 Kalends May |
Apr 30 | Eve Kalends May |
May 1 | Kalends May |
|
* FEBRUARY: For leap years, use dates in parentheses for days before the Kalends of March. "February 14" is "16 Kalends of March" in regular years and "17 Kalends of March" in leap years. "Eve of Kalends of March" is "February 28" in regular years and "February 29" in leap years.
Dates for latter February are based on the modern calendar in which Leap Day is February 29th. In the Roman calendar, Leap Day fell between the modern February 24th and 25th, so that they counted septimum kalendas Martias ("7th Kalends March"), sextum Kalendas ("6th Kalends"), bis sextum Kalendas ("twice 6th Kalends", Leap Day), quintum Kalendas ("5th Kalends"). I have found no evidence as to whether such counting was used in period.
|
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