A.D. is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase "Anno Domini', which means "in the year of our Lord," and is used for dates after Jesus's birth. B.C., which stands for "Before Christ," is used to date events before the birth of Jesus. This system of dating has been used for many years by Western archaeologists. Today, however, with a growing understanding that not all archaeologists are Christians, some archaeologists prefer to use the terms: Before the Common Era (B.C.E.) and the Common Era (C.E.), which are exactly the same as B.C. and A.D. but have nothing to do with Christianity.
