YBP
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Symbol edit
YBP
- (archaeology, geology, paleontology) Initialism of years before present.
- Synonym: BP
Usage notes edit
A year designation alternative to the widely-used but Christian-oriented designations BC and AD and their secular equivalents BCE and CE. Used in historical sciences, especially when the exact number of years is unknown, and where precision and the current year are not significant.
Conventionally, “present” refers to the origin of practical radiocarbon dating in the 1950s, sometimes made explicit with the abbreviation RCYBP (“radio carbon years before present”).
Derived terms edit
- myBP (“million years before present”)
- C14YBP, RCYBP (“radio carbon years before present”)
Further reading edit
- Before Present on Wikipedia.Wikipedia