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Counting years BC and AD – practice for Years 6–9

Sample questions on Counting years BC and AD with the right answer and a worked solution, from easy to hard. In the Pickles Academy app a child gets new questions of the same kind every time, so they can't just learn the answers by heart.

Subject
History
Year
Years 6–9
Curriculum area
People in history

Question types: How many years passed?

Rule: Counting years BC and AD

Both years BC, or both AD: take the smaller year from the bigger one.

One BC and one AD: add the years and take away 1, because there is no year 0.

Example: 44 BC to AD 14: 44 + 14 − 1 = 57 years

Watch out: Before Christ an earlier year has a bigger number: 776 BC came before 323 BC.

Sample questions

  1. Question 1 Easy

    How many years passed between these events? The Battle of Hastings (AD 1066). The Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years’ War (AD 1648). There is no year 0: 1 BC is followed straight by AD 1.

    Show the solution
    Answer: 582

    How it works: 1648 − 1066 = 582.

  2. Question 2 Normal

    How many years passed between these events? Rome is founded, according to legend (753 BC). The First Punic War begins (264 BC). There is no year 0: 1 BC is followed straight by AD 1.

    Show the solution
    Answer: 489

    How it works: 753 − 264 = 489.

  3. Question 3 Hard

    How many years passed between these events? The Battle of Marathon (490 BC). Muhammad moves from Mecca to Medina (AD 622). There is no year 0: 1 BC is followed straight by AD 1.

    Show the solution
    Answer: 1111

    How it works: 490 + 622 − 1 = 1111. There is no year 0: 1 BC is followed straight by AD 1.

Related topics

All History topics

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