A.D. stands for Anno Domini, meaning "year of our Lord". A.D. dates start from the birth of Jesus Christ, which occurred 2000 years ago. C.E. (Common Era) is used by some to avoid Christian references
North Carolina borders Virginia, Atlantic Ocean, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. State's highest point is Mount Mitchell at 6,684 ft east of Mississippi River. Population was 10,439,388 at 2020 census. Charlotte is state's most populous city with 2,805,115 residents
Epoch is a chosen time point as origin of a calendar era. Epoch serves as reference point for time measurement. Epoch moment usually determined by congruity or conventions
Island is land completely surrounded by water, distinct from a continent. Continental islands form from plate tectonics, oceanic islands never part of continents. Islands can be volcanic, coral reef-based, barrier, or river-formed. Artificial islands created by humans through land reclamation or development
Periodization categorizes past into discrete, quantified blocks for analysis. Sumerian King List (2nd millennium BC) is earliest known periodization. Hesiod divided history into five ages: Golden, Silver, Bronze, Heroic, Iron
Geologic time spans 4.6 billion to 3 million years ago. Prehistoric periods include Hadean through Anthropocene. Three-age system used in archaeology and anthropology. Mesolithic corresponds to beginning of Holocene epoch