The Use of the Circa Abbrevation (c.) (2025)

Hi, Folks.

I am writing a paper and found out a particular individual’s dates of birth and death are both uncertain. In my source it lists it as: (c. 800–c. 877), using the abbreviation to indicate uncertainty for both the birth and death. I have never seen it used this way, and always assumed that the ‘c.’ at the beginning of the date range put it all into the status of being an approximation, not just the first date given.

Is this standard practice, or is my source just thinking out of the box so to speak? Should I insert the second abbreviation in my own paper, or just drop it and use only the first one, making it applicable to the whole date?

Thanks much for any advice,
Jon

Hello Jon,
I would use the abbreviation for circa for both uncertain dates. I would also italicize it.

Here is my logic for doing it that way. If you write c. 800-877, that suggests uncertainty about the date of
birth, and certainty about the year of death.

It might be wise to see what some good style manuals suggest. I don't believe this is
a matter of rules, but of stylistic conventions.

Yôn said:

Hi, Folks.

I am writing a paper and found out a particular individual’s dates of birth and death are both uncertain. In my source it lists it as: (c. 800–c. 877), using the abbreviation to indicate uncertainty for both the birth and death. I have never seen it used this way, and always assumed that the ‘c.’ at the beginning of the date range put it all into the status of being an approximation, not just the ?rst date given.

Is this standard practice, or is my source just thinking out of the box so to speak? Should I insert the second abbreviation in my own paper, or just drop it and use only the ?rst one, making it applicable to the whole date?

Thanks much for any advice,
Jon

Click to expand...

Hi Jon,
I don't know any standard convention. But logic tells me it should apply only to one of the dates. After all, in a case where one date is certain and the other is not, you need a way to indicate that.

Let's see what others say.

Blues

ps.... I see I cross-posted with Cuchu and that we are in agreement.

An interesting question, a definitive answer to which may be difficult to arrive at. From a brief survey, I was unable to find an example of a circa range which had both start and end dates qualified. I could only find examples where c. was put at the beginning of a range. It seems to me that circa at the beginning of a range indicates that the whole range is approximate.

Here is a quote from one style guide:

The range of dates refers to the first and last verified date of the materials described. In the event that items on either end of the range cannot be verified, use circa dates with the “c.” notation (c. 1820).[Example given:]
Tener, John, Papers, c. 1872-1948

Source:
http://uwdcc.library.wisc.edu/documents/FindingAidStyleManual.pdf

WOW! Thanks, Matching Mole. This does truly seem to be a stylistic preference of the writer then, eh?

Thanks.

Here are a few examples of the full circuit circa:

[PDF] BIBLIOGRAPHY OF TORONTO HISTORY

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
(Lived c.1784-c.1854.) Baldwin, Lawrence. The Baldwin legacy.Cleanthes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cleanthes (Greek: Κλέανθης) of Assos, lived c. 330- c. 230 BC, was a Stoic philosopher and the ... Cleanthes was born in Assos in the Troad about 330 BC. ...

[PDF]
These disks contain my version of Paul Spade's expository text and ...
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
Boethius was born sometime around 480, and died between 524 and 526. ...... William lived c. 1085 - c. 1148.

I don't take these as proof of anything but the respective authors' style preferences.