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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.
[Icon for permission to reproduce and distribute] This article may be reproduced and distributed in printed form at official or unofficial activities of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) or reprinted in official or unofficial SCA publications without prior permission provided that the text is reproduced in its entirety, including this notice and the copyright notice.

No material on SCAdia may be distributed by any electronic means. Please do not copy text, graphics, or files from SCAdia to any other website, distribute it by email or other electronic transmission, or post it on newsgroups, feeds, or bulletin boards; instead, please provide a link to SCAdia.org. The author requests that he be notified of any use or distribution of this material.
Dating in the SCA - Return to Main Article

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 30Significant StuffOther 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  
Dating in the SCA - Return to Main Article

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
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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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SCAdia: Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, Seamas Mac Daibhid. All rights reserved. Except where otherwise specified, reproduction or redistribution of this material in any form is prohibited. SCAdia is written and edited by Seamas Mac Daibhid. Some material is used by permission of other authors; copyright resides with them and will be noted where appropriate.

SCAdia is not an official web site of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.. and does not delineate official Society policy. While much of the material on SCAdia is instructional or educational, much of it is provided entirely for entertainment. SCAdia makes no claim to support the Society's substantially educational purpose, and should not be considered to reflect upon the Society directly. SCAdia is also not an official web site of the Shire of Smythkepe or the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann.

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