BC or B.C. was an initialism (Before Christ) (PROSE: The Best of Days [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.) used to designate an Earth year's position relative to the epoch known as AD. Sometimes BCE was used instead. (COMIC: Crossing the Rubicon [+]Richard Dinnick, The Many Lives of Doctor Who (Titan Publishing Group, 2018).) The phrase "before the birth of Christ" could also be used. (GAME: The Iytean Menace [+]J. Andrew Keith, The Doctor Who Role Playing Game (FASA, 1985).) The term "BC" thus designated a negative number; 100 BC was ninety-nine years before 1 BC. Its positive counterpart was AD.
There was, however, a question as to whether the year 1 BC was followed by the year 0 or the year 1 AD. Some people, including the human chronologist Professor Wagg, clearly believed that 1 BC was followed by 0, allowing him to make the claim that the year 2000 was the first year of a new millennium, as did American journalists working for television station KKBE. (TV: Doctor Who [+]Matthew Jacobs, Doctor Who Television Movie (Fox Broadcasting Company, 1996).) The Eighth Doctor concurred with this opinion. (PROSE: The Novel of the Film [+]Gary Russell, adapted from Doctor Who (Matthew Jacobs), BBC Books novelisations (BBC Books, 1996)., AUDIO: Relative Dimensions [+]Marc Platt, Eighth Doctor Adventures (Big Finish Productions, 2010).) However, the Sixth Doctor (PROSE: Millennial Rites [+]Craig Hinton, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1995).) and Dave Young (PROSE: Escape Velocity [+]Colin Brake, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2001).) both strongly argued that 1 BC was followed by 1 AD, thus making 2001 the start of the 3rd millennium.
The Time Lords placed Davros' life in the Thousand Year War up to the Fourth Doctor's incursion into Dalek history as concurrent to Earth's ancient history, prior to the 2nd century. (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual [+]Richard Atkinson and Mike Tucker, BBC Books (2021).)
Timeline[]
Prehistory[]
Earth around 6 billion years prior to 1974, on a Tuesday. (TV: Hide [+]Neil Cross, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2013).)
- Event One: On 13 February, 13,500,017,093 BC, the beginning of the universe occurred at 11 am. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Chris Farnell, BBC Children's Books (2020).) A random quarter of the TARDIS was deleted by Tegan and Nyssa, in order to escape the explosion. (TV: Castrovalva [+]Christopher H. Bidmead, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- Time unknown: The Sixth Doctor wrote "THE DOCTOR WAS HERE" on an early planet's surface. (PROSE: Gone Too Soon [+]Christopher M. Wadley, Short Trips and Side Steps (Short Trips short stories, 2000).)
- 449,999,997,980 BC: The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane used a two-person space capsule to explore the Earth, which was at the time a ball of gas. (AUDIO: Exploration Earth [+]Bernard Venables, BBC Audio Dramas (BBC Radio, 1976).)
- Circa 4,700,000,000 BC: The Tenth Doctor showed Donna Noble the formation of earth, witnessing it form around a Racnoss spaceship. (TV: The Runaway Bride [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2006 (BBC One, 2006).)
- Circa 3,500,000,000 BC: A splinter of Scaroth of the Jagaroth lived among primitive man and helped speed up the development of human culture. (TV: City of Death [+]David Agnew, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).)
- 425,000,000 BC: The Silurians and Sea Devils signed a peace deal on 28 January. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Chris Farnell, BBC Children's Books (2020).)
- 410,000,000 BC: the first amphibious lifeforms experimented with crawling on to land. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Chris Farnell, BBC Children's Books (2020).)
- Circa 350,000,000 BC: According to historians, the Silurians first emerge about this time, evolving from cold-blooded reptiles similar to iguanas. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Jonathan Morris and Penny CS Andrews, The Monster Vault (Penguin Group, 2020).)
- Circa 300,000,000 BC: The Silurians remain active on Earth. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Jonathan Morris and Penny CS Andrews, The Monster Vault (Penguin Group, 2020).)
- Circa 200,000,000 BC: The Silurians are active on Jurassic Earth, which is still composed of only one continent. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Jonathan Morris and Penny CS Andrews, The Monster Vault (Penguin Group, 2020).)
- 100,000,000 BC: On 4 June, the Silurian Ark is launched. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Chris Farnell, BBC Children's Books (2020).)
- Circa 65,000,000 BC: The Silurians are active on Earth, co-existing with Cretaceous dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus rex. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Jonathan Morris and Penny CS Andrews, The Monster Vault (Penguin Group, 2020).)
- Circa 40,000,000 BC: The Silurians are active on Earth during the Eocene era. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Jonathan Morris and Penny CS Andrews, The Monster Vault (Penguin Group, 2020).)
- Circa 20,000,000 BC: The Silurians are active as the first apes walk on the Earth. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Jonathan Morris and Penny CS Andrews, The Monster Vault (Penguin Group, 2020).)
- 850,000 BC: A human left footprints in a patch of mud in Happisburgh, Norfolk that would latered be discovered by scientists and announced as the oldest preserved footprints ever found outside of Africa. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Chris Farnell, BBC Children's Books (2020).)
- Time unknown: An Ice Warrior spacecraft crashed on Earth and was buried in ice. (TV: The Ice Warriors [+]Brian Hayles, Doctor Who season 5 (BBC1, 1967).)
- Time unknown: The Daleks were studying the cavemen for the Dalek Project. (COMIC: The Dalek Project [+]Justin Richards, Doctor Who - Graphic Novels (BBC Books, 2012).)
- Time unknown: Light came to Earth to catalogue its life forms and preserved a Neanderthal who came to be known as Nimrod. (TV: Ghost Light [+]Marc Platt, Doctor Who season 26 (BBC1, 1989).)
- Time unknown: The Eighth Doctor, Samson and Gemma Griffin visited prehistoric Earth. (AUDIO: Terror Firma [+]Joseph Lidster, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2005).)
- Time unknown: The Eighth Doctor and Sam arrived at Stonehenge. (PROSE: The People's Temple [+]Paul Leonard, Short Trips (Short Trips short stories, 1998).)
- Circa 200,000 BC: The Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble make contact with a tribe of Neanderthals after crash-landing, where they come to revere Donna as a goddess. (COMIC: Untitled [+]Alan Barnes, DWM Comics (Panini Comics, 2023).)
- Circa 100,000 BC: The First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, and Susan helped the cave-dwelling Tribe of Gum to make fire. (TV: An Unearthly Child [+]Anthony Coburn, adapted from The Pilot Episode (Anthony Coburn), Doctor Who season 1 (BBC tv, 1963)., PROSE: The Eight Doctors [+]Terrance Dicks, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 1997).) Around the same time, the Dæmons arrived on Earth and began their experiments with humanity, assisting modern humans in wiping all but a very few Neanderthals. (TV: The Dæmons [+]Guy Leopold, Doctor Who season 8 (BBC1, 1971).)
- Circa 59,000 BC: the Gubbage Cones were the dominant empire in the galaxy. Their empire encompassed the silicon Excalbians, the feathered people of Velopssi, androids from Exo III, the Lamp People of Badafex, Ice Warriors and Ogrons, as well as Mire Beast fighting pits. (PROSE: The Crystal Bucephalus [+]Craig Hinton, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1994).)
- 55,519 BC: Urbanka's ozone layer collapsed, and Monarch's ship departed on its first voyage to Earth. (TV: Four to Doomsday [+]Terence Dudley, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- Circa 40,000 BC: Five Euterpians arrived on Earth in Australia and began setting up a ley line of beacons on the planet's surface which their mother ship could use as a guide to split the planet apart and harvest its core for fuel. A random solar flare destroyed the mother ship, and the Euterpian away team was trapped on Earth until the late 20th century. (PROSE: Invasion of the Cat-People [+]Gary Russell, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1995).)
- 35,519 BC: Monarch's ship made its first visit to Earth. Kurkutji and several other Aborigines were kidnapped from Australia and converted into androids. (TV: Four to Doomsday [+]Terence Dudley, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- Circa 33,000 BC: The Eleventh Doctor and Rory Williams visited the future site of Los Angeles, California, where the TARDIS became stuck in a tar pit. They encountered a mammoth and a sabre-toothed tiger. (COMIC: The Doctor and the Nurse [+]Brandon Seifert, Doctor Who (2012) (IDW Publishing, 2012-2013).)
- 29,185 BC: The Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler encountered a tribe of Neanderthals. (PROSE: Only Human [+]Gareth Roberts, BBC New Series Adventures (BBC Books, 2005).)
- 25,519 BC: Monarch's ship returned to Urbanka from its first visit to Earth. (TV: Four to Doomsday [+]Terence Dudley, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- Circa 23,000 BC: The Tzun ventured out from S'Arl in Beta Centauri and fought a war with the Darklings of Yuggoth. (PROSE: First Frontier [+]David A. McIntee, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1994).)
- Circa 18,000 BC: Two Krynoid pods arrived in Antarctica and went into hibernation. (TV: The Seeds of Doom [+]Robert Banks Stewart, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1976).)
- Circa 16,000 BC: A Tregannan survey team consisting of Sancreda and Scryfan visited Cornwall; Sancreda ended up abandoned and marooned there. (AUDIO: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor [+]Nicholas Pegg, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2000).)
- 15,519 BC: Monarch's ship made a second visit to Earth, this time kidnapping Princess Villagra and several other Mayans and converting them into androids. Monarch's ship returned to Urbanka. (TV: Four to Doomsday [+]Terence Dudley, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- Circa 10,000 BC:
- The Last Great Ice Age ended, and the Cold went dormant, to awaken again in early 1963. (PROSE: Time and Relative [+]Kim Newman, Telos Doctor Who novellas (Telos Publishing, 2001).)
- A splinter of Scaroth invented the first wheel on Earth and showed humans how to use fire, (TV: City of Death [+]David Agnew, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).) around which point the Silents' occupation of Earth began. (TV: Day of the Moon [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 6 (BBC One, 2011).)
- A war erupted between the planets Hextacosulous Blue and Hextacosulous Green; it would eventually destroy them both. (PROSE: The Lampblack Wars [+]Matthew Sweet, Short Trips: The History of Christmas (Short Trips short stories, 2005).)
- The planet of Zolfa-Thura was reduced to a desert in a civil war, leaving only its projector screens. The lone survivor of this conflict, Meglos, went into hibernation, while the screen's power source, the Dodecahedron, transferred across space to the nearby planet of Tigella. (TV: Meglos [+]John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1980).)
- A Cyber-ship containing Cyberman of indeterminate origin was caught in a temporal storm and crashed into the Arctic Circle, where they would remain trapped until the 21st century. (GAME: Blood of the Cybermen [+]Phil Ford, The Adventure Games (BBC Wales Interactive, 2010).)
- The ancestors of the Koyukon first settled what became known as Alaska. (AUDIO: The Land of the Dead [+]Stephen Cole, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2000).)
- According to one account, the Sontaran-Rutan war started circa 8395 BC. (GAME: The Gunpowder Plot [+]Phil Ford, The Adventure Games (BBC Wales Interactive, 2011).)
- Circa 6700 BC: Reyn's ship crashed in Swallow Woods. (PROSE: The Way Through the Woods [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
- Circa 6200 BC, on 7 September, the exodus of Doggerland occurred. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Chris Farnell, BBC Children's Books (2020).)
- Circa 6000 BC: The Thains became extinct. (PROSE: Placebo Effect [+]Gary Russell, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 1998).)
- 5519 BC: Monarch's ship made its third visit to Earth, this time kidnapping Lin Futu and other natives of China. (TV: Four to Doomsday [+]Terence Dudley, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- Circa 5000 BC: Horus and his Osiran followers tracked Sutekh (TV: Pyramids of Mars [+]Stephen Harris, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1975).) and his sister Nephthys (PROSE: The Sands of Time [+]Justin Richards, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).) across the galaxy to Egypt where the renegade Osirans were defeated. Sutekh was imprisoned beneath a pyramid, (TV: Pyramids of Mars [+]Stephen Harris, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1975).) while Nephthys' mind was extracted and placed inside a canopic jar. (PROSE: The Sands of Time [+]Justin Richards, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).) Egyptian culture from this point would be based upon the Osiran pattern, (TV: Pyramids of Mars [+]Stephen Harris, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1975).) while Wars of the Gods entered many of Earth's mythologies. (TV: Pyramids of Mars [+]Stephen Harris, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1975)., PROSE: The Sands of Time [+]Justin Richards, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).)
- 5000 BC: Mondas drifted away from its twin planet Earth and the solar system on a journey to the edge of space. (TV: The Tenth Planet [+]Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, Doctor Who season 4 (BBC1, 1966).)
- Circa 4064 BC: The Weave ship WSS Exalted crashed to Earth after a battle with the Tahnn. The Glamour aboard extended Owain's lifespan so he could guard the Weave. (PROSE: The Glamour Chase [+]Gary Russell, BBC New Series Adventures (BBC Books, 2010).)
4th millennium B.C.[]
- Circa 3532 BC: Kwundaar was banished from Traken after the Source was created. (AUDIO: Primeval [+]Lance Parkin, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2001).)
- Circa 3500 BC: Sontaran Field Major Styx arrived in Egypt, where he was briefly worshipped as the god Sontar before being entombed. (COMIC: The Gods Walk Among Us [+]John Peel, DWM backup comic stories (Marvel Comics, 1981).)
- 3300 BC: The Second Doctor visited a village near Lake Garda and met Flinthair. (PROSE: Loop the Loup [+]Marc Platt, Doctor Who Yearbooks (1993).)
- 3119 BC: Iraxxa and Friday entered stasis and slept for the next 5,000 years. (TV: Empress of Mars [+]Mark Gatiss, Doctor Who series 10 (BBC One, 2017).)
- 3019 BC: Monarch's ship returned to Urbanka from its third visit to Earth. (TV: Four to Doomsday [+]Terence Dudley, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- Circa 3000 BC: According to the Eleventh Doctor, Mars was the centre of a vast empire during this time while humans were barely out of their caves. The Ice Warrior Grand Marshall Skaldak was on Earth during this time and somehow wound up frozen in the ice at the Earth's North Pole. (TV: Cold War [+]Mark Gatiss, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2013).)
- 3000 BC:
- A possible date for the first divergence of the Cybermen of Mondas, a group of Cybermen known as the Faction left Mondas while the Mondans remained. (PROSE: Iceberg [+]David Banks, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1993)., TV: The Tenth Planet [+]Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, Doctor Who season 4 (BBC1, 1966).) The Faction headed for Planet 14, eventually developing into a separate group without connection to the Mondans. (PROSE: Iceberg [+]David Banks, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1993).)
- Around this year, an Iytean starship carrying an Iytean criminal crashed on Earth and was buried by the Monitor crew under what would later become London. Before a rescue mission could be mounted, the planet Iytea was wrecked in the Anar-Isari wars. (GAME: The Iytean Menace [+]J. Andrew Keith, The Doctor Who Role Playing Game (FASA, 1985).)
- The Ice Warrior Empress of Mars ascended on 6 July, 3000 BC. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Chris Farnell, BBC Children's Books (2020).)
3rd millennium B.C.[]
- Circa 2700 BC:
- A splinter of Scaroth of the Jagaroth lived among the ancient Egyptians, and helped speed up the development of human culture, including the building of the Pyramids. (TV: City of Death [+]David Agnew, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).)
- The First Doctor, Steven Taylor, and Sara Kingdom arrived in Egypt, were pursued by Mavic Chen and the Daleks and met the Monk. (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan [+]Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner, Doctor Who season 3 (BBC1, 1965-1966).)
- The Seventh Doctor and Ace visited Mesopotamia. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Genesys [+]John Peel, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1991).)
- Circa 2600 BC: The First Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian came to Egypt. Itennu tried to frame them for his murder of Menkaure, but the Doctor was able to stop him. (COMIC: The Forgotten [+]Tony Lee, IDW mini-series and one-shots (IDW Publishing, 2008-2009).)
- Circa 2300 BC: A splinter of Scaroth assisted humans in making the first maps of the heavens. (TV: City of Death [+]David Agnew, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).)
- Circa 2200 BC: Daleks interfered in the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan [+]Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner, Doctor Who season 3 (BBC1, 1965-1966)., PROSE: Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe [+]George Mann, Justin Richards and Cavan Scott, Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe (Ebury Publishing, 2017).)
- Circa 2037 BC: The people of Atlantis attempted to control the Chronovore Kronos, resulting in great destruction and the mutation of one member of the court into a Minotaur. King Dalios forbade any future use of the Crystal of Kronos and it was locked away in the temple. (TV: The Time Monster [+]Robert Sloman, Doctor Who season 9 (BBC1, 1972).)
- Circa 2000 BC:
- Cessair of Diplos arrived on Earth, posing as a Celtic goddess in Britain. (TV: The Stones of Blood [+]David Fisher, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978).)
- Grave robbers stole the canopic jar containing the essence of Nephthys. (PROSE: The Sands of Time [+]Justin Richards, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).)
2nd millennium B.C.[]
- 1992 BC: The Kalazian Lights were visible from the night sky of Earth. (TV: The Lost Boy [+]Phil Ford, The Sarah Jane Adventures series 1 (CBBC, 2007).)
- 1936 BC: Emperor Rovan Cartovall mysteriously disappeared. (PROSE: The Ultimate Treasure [+]Christopher Bulis, BBC Past Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 1997).)
- 1911 BC: Iris Wildthyme, Edwin Turner, Jenni Marcel, and Zack Hoffman briefly visited Egypt when trying to reach London in 1911 AD. (AUDIO: Kronos Vad's History of Earth Vol. 36,379 [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
- Circa 1500 BC:
- The Exxilons visited the planet Yemaya 4. (PROSE: SLEEPY [+]Kate Orman, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).)
- The Tenth Doctor and June visited Greece. (PROSE: The Slitheen Excursion [+]Simon Guerrier, BBC New Series Adventures (BBC Books, 2009).)
- The Master released Kronos and destroyed Atlantis. (TV: The Time Monster [+]Robert Sloman, Doctor Who season 9 (BBC1, 1972).)
- 1419 BC: Birth of Erimem, companion to the Fifth Doctor. (AUDIO: The Eye of the Scorpion [+]Iain McLaughlin, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2001).)
- Circa 1400 BC: Death of Pharaoh Amenhotep II, Erimem's father. The Fifth Doctor rescued Erimem from the resulting tumult. (AUDIO: The Eye of the Scorpion [+]Iain McLaughlin, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2001).)
- 1368 BC: On 9 July, Pharaoh Tut-Am-Tut dies. (COMIC: Dr. Who's Time Tales [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
- 1366 BC: Bernice Summerfield stopped over briefly in Egypt while eluding Robot Ants. She found a Cult of Sutekh operating at this time. (PROSE: Set Piece [+]Kate Orman, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1995).)
- 1352 BC: A Vondraxian orb was found in Egypt. When the Vondrax appeared to take it back, they took the form of gods. (PROSE: Trace Memory [+]David Llewellyn, BBC Torchwood novels (BBC Books, 2008).)
- 1334 BC: The Eleventh Doctor stopped what he described as a "weapons bearing giant alien locust attack" in ancient Egypt. He met Queen Nefertiti during this adventure. She was attracted to the Doctor, and travelled with him along with John Riddell, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, and Brian Williams, to the Silurian Ark in 2367. (TV: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2012).)
- Circa 1200 BC:
- The First Doctor, Vicki and Steven were present at the siege and fall of Troy. Vicki stayed behind under the name Cressida to marry Troilus. (TV: The Myth Makers [+]Donald Cotton, Doctor Who season 3 (BBC1, 1965).) Some time prior to this, the First Rani visited the siege, extracting chemicals from the brains of some of the humans in the camps and thus intensifying some of the conflict. (TV: The Mark of the Rani [+]Pip & Jane Baker, Doctor Who season 22 (BBC1, 1985).)
- About a year later, Cressida and Troilus met the Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard and a young William Shakespeare. (PROSE: Apocrypha Bipedium [+]Ian Potter, Short Trips: Companions (Short Trips, 2003).)
- 1164 BC: Cressida was living at the Temple of Astarte in Carthage at this time. (AUDIO: Frostfire [+]Marc Platt, The Companion Chronicles (Big Finish Productions, 2007).)
- Circa 1000 BC:
- The Exxilons visited Earth, influencing the construction of cities in Peru. It was probably some time after this that they began constructing a living city on their own world, one of the Seven Hundred Wonders of the Universe, whose absorption of all forms of energy brought about the fall of their civilisation. (TV: Death to the Daleks [+]Terry Nation, Doctor Who season 11 (BBC1, 1974).)
- Horath was overthrown and the galaxy Mutter's Spiral emerged from a tyrannical age known as the Dark Empire, to which all galactic civilisations, save for the most primitive ones, were subject for an unknown amount of time. At this point in history Earth was a primitive planet and thus spared. (TV: Enemy of the Bane [+]Phil Ford, The Sarah Jane Adventures series 2 (CBBC, 2008).)
- A Vondraxian orb was buried under the Arctic. (PROSE: Trace Memory [+]David Llewellyn, BBC Torchwood novels (BBC Books, 2008).)
- Three members of the Gorgon race were trapped on Earth and subsequently became the subject of ancient Greek legends, particularly Medusa, who would continue to live on Earth for the next 3,000 years. (TV: Eye of the Gorgon [+]Phil Ford, The Sarah Jane Adventures series 1 (CBBC, 2007).)
- The Fifth Doctor became the first Keeper of Traken. He defeated Kwundaar, the inventor of the Source. He gave the title to Shayla, who held it for an unknown time. (AUDIO: Primeval [+]Lance Parkin, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2001).)
- The Doctor traps a Threckon under the fault line of what would later become San Francisco. (PROSE: Inmate 280 [+]Cavan Scott, Short Trips: Steel Skies (Short Trips, 2003).)
10th century B.C.[]
- 905 BC: The Gryphon attacked Babylon, but was trapped by mirrors by the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond and deactivated by the sun. (COMIC: In the Stars [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
9th century B.C.[]
- Circa 800 BC: Azal sealed himself up within the Devil's Hump, awaiting the day when he should make his final judgement on humanity. (TV: The Dæmons [+]Guy Leopold, Doctor Who season 8 (BBC1, 1971).)
- 814 BC: Dido founded Carthage. (AUDIO: The Phoenicians [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
6th century B.C.[]
- 575 BC: Bigon was born in Greece, probably in Athens. (TV: Four to Doomsday [+]Terence Dudley, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- 570 BC: Bernice Summerfield visited ancient Babylon. (PROSE: Walking to Babylon [+]Kate Orman, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1998).)
- Circa 550 BC: A Tenctrama acting as a Sybil visited the court of King Tarquin the Proud, the last ruler of the Roman Kingdom, and offered to sell him the nine Sibylline books that foretold the future of Rome. After she burned several books when he refused, he agreed to buy the remaining three. (PROSE: Combat Magicks [+]Steve Cole, BBC New Series Adventures (BBC Books, 2018).)
- 519 BC: Monarch's ship visited Earth, kidnapping Bigon and several other Greeks and converting them to androids. This was the first visit during which the Urbankan met actual resistance. (TV: Four to Doomsday [+]Terence Dudley, Doctor Who season 19 (BBC1, 1982).)
- Circa 500 BC: A Thraal ship accidentally landed on a garden of Olabrian joy-luck crystals, leading to a war with the Olabrians and their eventual destruction. (PROSE: Ship of Fools [+]Dave Stone, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1997).)
- Circa 500 BC: The Thirteenth Doctor, Graham O'Brien, Yasmin Khan and Ryan Sinclair visited Pythagoras in Crotone. (PROSE: The Pythagoras Problem [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
5th century B.C.[]
- Circa 450 BC: A crew of Greek sailors were taken from this time to participate in a boat race through the solar system by a group of Eternals. (TV: Enlightenment [+]Barbara Clegg, Doctor Who season 20 (BBC1, 1983).)
- 430 BC: Bernice Summerfield and Jason Kane visited Athens and met Socrates and his student Plato. (AUDIO: The Oracle of Delphi [+]Scott Handcock, Bernice Summerfield: Single Releases (Big Finish Productions, 2006).)
- 421 BC: The Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hector visited Athens and met Aristophanes. The war between Athens and Sparta ended in this year. (AUDIO: Mask of Tragedy [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
- 410 BC: The Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams visited Athens. (COMIC: The Chains of Olympus [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
- Circa 400 BC: The Fourth Doctor brought Leela on a visit to Athens. (PROSE: The Brain of Socrates [+]Gareth Roberts, Short Trips: The Muses (Short Trips, 2003).)
4th century B.C.[]
- 332 BC: Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. (PROSE: The Ruby's Curse [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
- May to June 323 BC: The First Doctor and his companions Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright visited Babylon and met Alexander the Great, ultimately being present at his death. (AUDIO: Farewell, Great Macedon [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW., TV: Robot [+]Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1974-1975).) 323 BC equated to the Year of the 114th Olympiad. (AUDIO: Farewell, Great Macedon [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
- Circa 300 BC: The First Doctor, Ian and Barbara visited Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I. (PROSE: The Book of Shadows [+]Jim Mortimore, Decalog (Virgin Decalogs, 1994).)
3rd century B.C.[]
- 221 BC: The Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond visited China to leave a message for River Song on a vase. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2012).)
- Circa 218 BC: The Doctor met Hannibal. (TV: Robot [+]Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1974-1975).)
- 210 BC: The Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield encountered Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. (AUDIO: The Emperor of Eternity [+]Nigel Robinson, The Companion Chronicles (Big Finish Productions, 2010).)
- Egyptian bowls dating from this century were among the artefacts abandoned by the departing colonists of the former Earth colony of Jegg-Sau in the 25th century. (AUDIO: The Relics of Jegg-Sau [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
2nd century B.C.[]
- 101 BC: In January, the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe visited Rome and witnessed the birth of Julius Caesar's sister Julia. (AUDIO: 100 BC [+]Jacqueline Rayner, 100 (Main Range, Big Finish Productions, 2007).)
- 101 BC: In October, the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe visited Rome, where they met Julius Caesar's parents. (AUDIO: 100 BC [+]Jacqueline Rayner, 100 (Main Range, Big Finish Productions, 2007).)
1st century B.C.[]
- 94 BC: Demetrius was born. (PROSE: The Slave War [+]Una McCormack, Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership (Short Trips, 2008).)
- 71 BC: The Second Doctor, Ben Jackson, Polly Wright and Jamie McCrimmon encountered Spartacus during his slave revolt against the Roman Republic. (PROSE: The Slave War [+]Una McCormack, Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership (Short Trips, 2008).)
- 55 BC: Julius Caesar led an invasion of Britain, although he claimed his purpose was reconnaissance and information gathering in preparation for a later invasion. The Eleventh Doctor, Winston Churchill and Kazran Sardick arrived during the invasion and helped defeat the Bronze God. (AUDIO: Living History [+]Justin Richards, The Churchill Years: Volume One (The Churchill Years, Big Finish Productions, 2016).)
- On 17 December 47 BC, the Seventh Doctor and Ace visited Rome. (PROSE: The Best of Days [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
- On 15 March 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated. (PROSE: The Ruby's Curse [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.) The event was a fixed point in time. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Chris Farnell, BBC Children's Books (2020).)
- 40 BC: The Eighth Doctor, Fitz Kreiner and Trix visited Rome, where they stopped Thorgan of the Sulumians from preventing the Treaty of Brundusium from being signed. (PROSE: The Gallifrey Chronicles [+]Lance Parkin, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2005).)
- Circa 40 BC: The Doctor learned swordsmanship from a captain in Cleopatra's bodyguard. (TV: The Masque of Mandragora [+]Louis Marks, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1976).)
- 1 BC: The Doctor took the last room at the inn on the first Christmas. (TV: Voyage of the Damned [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2007 (BBC One, 2007).)
- Circa 0 BC/AD: The Eighth Doctor attended the first Christmas. (AUDIO: Relative Dimensions [+]Marc Platt, Eighth Doctor Adventures (Big Finish Productions, 2010).)
Behind the scenes[]
- An inherently Christian designation, BC is not generally used in calendars of the traditionally non-Christian world. Consequently, some people use BCE (meaning "Before Common Era") for BC. CE (meaning "Common Era") as a substitute for AD. These largely cosmetic replacements are thought to avoid religious offence. However, Doctor Who fiction has typically remained loyal to the BC/AD convention. Even as late as the Russel T. Davies and Steven Moffat eras, dialogue and on-screen graphics prefer the Christian convention, for example in televised stories The Fires of Pompeii [+]James Moran, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008)., The Pandorica Opens [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 5 (BBC One, 2010)., A Good Man Goes to War [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 6 (BBC One, 2011). and The Angels Take Manhattan [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2012)..
- In the real world, there is no year zero, so therefore 1 BC is immediately followed by 1 AD. Doctor Who fiction, however, is unclear as to this point.
- On this wiki, templates and categories, both of which use, or are used in, mathematical formulae, assume the presence of a year zero, since the fiction of the Doctor Who universe allows it. Hence, we deem that the year 2000 is in the 21st century.
- In The Doctor Who Role Playing Game, Gallifrey's TL time scale relates to the BC/AD dating system using the following mathematic formulas
- When TL is greater than or equal to 70,709: A.D. = TL — 70,708, TL = A.D. + 70,708
- When TL is less than 70,709: B.C. = 70,709 — TL, TL = 70,709 — B.C.
The Cybermen.