Terminus post quem

The coins of Azes II found inside the Bimaran casket provide a terminus post quem: for the coins to have been placed inside, the casket was necessarily consecrated after the beginning of the reign of Azes II.

A terminus post quem ('limit after which', sometimes abbreviated TPQ) and terminus ante quem ('limit before which', abbreviated TAQ) specify the known limits of dating for events or items.[1][2][3]

A terminus post quem is the earliest date the event may have happened or the item was in existence, and a terminus ante quem is the latest. An event may well have both a terminus post quem and a terminus ante quem, in which case the limits of the possible range of dates are known at both ends, but many events have just one or the other. Similarly, a terminus ad quem 'limit to which' is the latest possible date of a non-punctual event (period, era, etc.), whereas a terminus a quo 'limit from which' is the earliest. The concepts are similar to those of upper and lower bounds in mathematics.

These terms are often used in archaeological and historical studies, such as dating layers in excavated sites, coins, historical events, authors, inscriptions or texts where the exact dates may not be known or may be in dispute.[2][3]

  1. ^ Grant, Jim; Gorin, Sam; Fleming, Neil (2005), The archaeology coursebook: an introduction to study skills, topics and methods (2 ed.), Taylor & Francis, p. 90, ISBN 978-0-415-36077-7.
  2. ^ a b Barker, P. (1993). Techniques of Archaeological Excavation. Batsford. pp. 224–226. ISBN 978-0-7134-7169-4.
  3. ^ a b Comfort, P.W. (2005). Encountering the Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography & Textual Criticism. Broadman & Holman. pp. 104–106. ISBN 978-0-8054-3145-2.