This year, families and friends are arguing about whether the decade ends now or next year. People wonder what we should call the first couple of years in the second decade of the 21st century: We're no longer in the aughts, but 10, 11, and 12 are not teens, either. Another familiar topic more closely related to this site is how to date the year. Do we call next year A.D. 2010 or 2010 A.C.E.? Roman history fans often come up with an alternative: Why not use the Roman system of dating and say 2010 will be 2763 A.U.C.?
A.U.C. stands for ab urbe condita 'from the founding of the city'. The city is Rome. The (albeit, legendary) date of the founding is 753 B.C. or B.C.E., using the modern abbreviations.
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