BCE stands for Before the Common Era. It is a dating system used in academic contexts to denote years before the current era (CEStands for Current Era, a secular and neutral term for the time period starting from year one in the Gregorian calendar; it means the same thing as AD. More), which is based on the Gregorian calendar. It is a non-religious alternative to BC (Before Christ), but it means the same, referring to the same time period.
