The abbreviation B.C. stands
for before Christ. It is used to mark years before
1 on our calendar.
We at SparkNotes prefer to use small capital letters
and periods, but you may choose to use uppercase letters for simplicity
and/or omit the periods.
• Plato died circa 350 B.C.
Because not all people believe that the byname Christ
is appropriate for the biblical Jesus, some writers prefer to use
the abbreviation B.C.E., which stands for before
common era and comes after the designated year. It’s your
call.
• Plato died circa 350 B.C.E.
