AD 46 (46 CE) was a year in the first century of the Common Era. In the Julian calendar it is recorded as a common year that began on a Saturday. In Roman practice the year was identified by the two consuls who held office, and contemporary sources refer to it as the Year of the Consulship of Asiaticus and Silanus. Modern historians place it within the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius.

Calendar and naming conventions

The designation "46" derives from the Anno Domini system adopted in medieval Europe; earlier societies used other methods. The Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar, divided the year into 365 days with an extra day every fourth year. Descriptions such as a "common year starting on Saturday" and references to the Julian calendar are reconstructions based on that system. Romans typically named years by their two consuls rather than by a numeric era; this is why the year was known as the consulship of Asiaticus and Silanus.

Political and cultural context

AD 46 fell during the rule of the Roman emperor Claudius (reigned 41–54). Within the Roman world, the consulship remained an important annual magistracy even as imperial power concentrated in the emperor. Elsewhere, large polities such as the Eastern Han in China and various kingdoms in the Near East continued their own chronologies and calendars, so the same span of months could be referenced very differently across regions.

How years are referenced

  • Consular dating: naming a year after Rome's two consuls (e.g., Asiaticus and Silanus).
  • Regnal years: counting years of a sovereign's reign (used in many ancient states).
  • Era-based systems: later adoption of Anno Domini produced the numeric label "46" now common in historiography; see year and 1st century for general context.

For readers, the label "AD 46" serves as a standardized reference point for synchronizing events across different regions and calendars. While specific events tied to this year are most fully documented in Roman records, the year should be understood within a wider tapestry of contemporary societies using their own dating methods.