"Upper limit" of PIE

[Stanley Friesen]

At 05:33 PM 2/23/00 +0100, Jens Elmegaard Rasmussen wrote:
>On Tue, 15 Feb 2000, Stanley Friesen wrote:

>> [...] [W]e can
>> place a fairly secure *upper* *limit* on how old the divergence of PIE is.
>> That upper limit is about 4500 BC.
>> [...]

>Help me, I'm dumb and ignorant, what is up and down in archaeological
>dating? Does the quoted statement mean that PIE split up "no later than"
>4500 BC, or does it mean "no earlier than" 4500 BC?

No earlier than.  It is the upper limit on the size of the number used to
specify the date.

> Is the present moment the low or the high end of the scale?

It is high AD.  That was high BC.  The two have opposite polarities.
[Or at least that is how I was using the numbers: I make no claim to this
being in any way a formal usage].

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May the peace of God be with you.         sarima at ix.netcom.com