Documenting Your Collections
Info-Muse Network Documentation Guide

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End Date (Dating)

Definition:

Observations:

1. If only one production date is known, enter it in this field.
2. If a range of dates is known, enter the most recent date in this field and the earliest date in the Begin Date field.
   Example

   A dagger dated between 1000 and 500 B.C.

   	Object Name	dagger
   	Begin Date	-1000 L
   	End Date	-0500 P

Entry rules:

1. Enter the end date in the form YYYY (Y for "year").
   Example

   	End Date	0200

2. If the end date has fewer than four digits, you may add zeros to simplify the production of lists.
   Example

   	End Date	0050

3. If the month and day on which production ended are known, enter the information in the form YYYY dash MM dash DD, in numbers only (Y for "Year," M for "Month" and D for "Day").
   Example

   	End Date	1952-02-24

4. Use the abbreviation "c" (for circa) when the object may have been produced within a ten-year period, i.e. five years before or after the date indicated. Enter the year, a space and "c".
   Example

   	End Date	1845 c

5. Use the abbreviation "P" (for "prior to") if the object could have been produced no later than the date shown. Enter the date followed by a space and "P".
   Example

   	End Date	1525 P

6. Use the abbreviation "L" (for "later than") if the object could have been produced no earlier than the date shown. Enter the date followed by a space and "L".
   Example

   	End Date	1525 L

7. If you are unsure whether your information is correct, include a space and a question mark after the date.
   Example

   	End Date	0925 ?

8. BC dates should be preceded by a minus sign "-".
   Example

   	End Date	-2500

9. To delimit a century or part of a century, you may use the Begin Date and End Date fields as follows:¹
   Example 1

   An object produced in the 10th century

   	Begin Date	0900 L
   	End Date	0999 P

   Example 2

   An object produced in the early 10th century

   	Begin Date	0900 L
   	End Date	0925 P

   Example 3

   An object produced in the mid-10th century

   	Begin Date	0925 L
   	End Date	0975 P

   Example 4

   An object produced in the late 10th century

   	Begin Date	0975 L
   	End Date	0999 P

   Example 5

   An object produced in the 1530s

   	Begin Date	1530 L
   	End Date	1539 P

10. If the date is unknown and no research has been done to find it, leave the End Date field blank.
11. If the date is unknown, enter "unknown".
    Example

    	End Date	unknown

12. This field may not contain more than one entry.