Dating Systems

Dating Systems: Three major dating systems are in use when referring to historical events - Terran, Vilani, and Imperial.

Terran dates center on a year about midway through the period of Vilani ascendance. After that date, years ascend, and are suffixed AD; before that date, years descend, and are suffixed BC. There is no year zero.

Vilani dates (using a 496 day year) count from the year of the Establishment of the First (or Vilani) Imperium. Those before are suffixed PI (pre-Imperium); those after are suffixed VI (Vilani Imperium).

Imperial dates count from the year of the founding of the Third Imperium, specifying the year zero as a holiday year. Dates before that are negative, dates after that are positive, with the sign usually suppressed. Imperial dating also uses a Julian system for counting days. Each day in the year is consecutively numbered beginning with 001. Thus, in the year 1105, the first day of the year is 001-1105.

Zhodani dating is in olympiads (obviously a translation). Each olympiad is of three Zhodani years; each Zhodani year is 273 days. The first olympiad corresponds to 2209 BC. The dating system itself has been in more or less continuous use since then, with minor lapses due to war or temporary decline of ruling parties.
 

-ld TP