Founding Dynasty or Myth? [ancient China]

Science magazine ^ | August 21, 2009, Vol. 325. no. 5943, p. 934 | Andrew Lawler

[xcamel]

Xiana, and all that. Bet they were fighting the Momguols back then too..

How soon people forget that 'xia' is usually spoken in Teochew and Hakka as "Ch"...

[SampleMan]

BCE: Before Common Era

And what is the Common Era? Oh yea, the time beginning with Christ. No matter who you are or what you believe, Jesus actually existed and his teaching radically changed the history of the World. So much so that the timeline based on His life became the common calender. So why pretend differently?

No one would be doing this if the calender were based on the life of Alexander the Great. Its just another example of Christphobia in academia.

[SampleMan]

You can ~ there are other's who simply agree on the time-frame if not the meaning or relevance of the actors. I don't have a problem with it, and the Jews, Buddhists and Hindus don't either, nor do the Moslems. No one is going to criticize you for spelling it out however you wish. They know what you mean anyway.

To me B.C.E. is the equivalent of renaming the days of the week and the months in order to avoid Roman references. Its a bit of silliness.

[SampleMan]

I suppose you wouldn’t find it silly in the least to rename Saturday to avoid potentially offending those who do not believe in the god Saturn.

Silliness is silliness.

[Little Ray]

That’s the Yellow King or King in Yellow, not the Yellow Emperor.
Different, umm, “entity.”
I think.
I’m pretty sure.

[BJClinton]

Only 1000?

[wildbill]

The XIA dynasty scientists are also credited with the invention and development of the Xia Pet, which over time became Chia Pet.

[SunkenCiv]

The strangest thing is that, over generations, they piled up all their dirty plates in a long line stretching hundreds of miles, just because they never invented dish soap.

[wildbill]

I heard about that. It was called the yellow plate road.

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, they’re not as funny when I have to explain ‘em. ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

It has nothing to do with not giving offense, it has to do with most of the world using a dating system based on the birth of someone they don’t revere as God.

[SampleMan]

It has nothing to do with not giving offense, it has to do with most of the world using a dating system based on the birth of someone they don’t revere as God.

And what is the problem with that. I use the names of days and months based on ancient Greek gods that I don't recognize as such. If they are going to take on the Western calendar, then don't gripe about what it is based on. Its silly.

[editor-surveyor]

Amen!

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[SunkenCiv]

:') Ya stumped me again.

[Tanniker Smith]

I'm a sometimes-gamer, and I went to a Sci-Fi convention, named Lunacon. There's a game room. They were demonstrating a game called (I think) Chrononauts, or something where you go through time collecting something.

They asked me if I wanted to play. I saw "B.C.E." on the cards in front of the rep. I pointed at it and told him, I'd pass. Shame. It looked like an interesting game, and I might've liked to have played it once.

[editor-surveyor]

should have asked him “does that mean Before Christian Epoch?”

[editor-surveyor]

Before Christian Epoch vs. Before Christ?