In anthropology and archaeology, the abbreviation BP stands for “Before Present.” It is a standardized time scale used to express ages of events or artifacts in years before 1950 CE.
🌍 Definition
- BP (Before Present): A dating convention meaning “years before 1950.”
- Why 1950?
- Chosen as the baseline because radiocarbon dating was developed in the late 1940s.
- 1950 marks the “present” in radiocarbon chronology.
🔑 Archaeological Contexts
- Radiocarbon Dating:
- Ages are reported as, e.g., 5000 BP → 5000 years before 1950 (≈3050 BCE).
- Other Dating Methods:
- Sometimes used in stratigraphy, paleontology, and geology for consistency.
- Calibration:
- Radiocarbon years (uncalibrated BP) differ from calendar years.
- Calibration curves adjust BP dates to actual calendar years.
📚 Importance in Anthropology
- Chronological Framework: Provides a universal reference point for dating prehistoric events.
- Cross-Disciplinary Use: Used in archaeology, geology, paleontology, and evolutionary biology.
- Comparative Value: Allows consistent comparison of dates across different regions and studies.
In short: BP means “Before Present,” with “present” fixed at 1950 CE, and is widely used in archaeology and anthropology for dating prehistoric events.
