Unless we didn&#x27;t take the big bang as the first year, negative dates will exist.  From an archaeological stance, 12.000 or maybe 15.000 years would be better, but 10.000 has an advantage: for anni domini we stay in the same <i>millennium</i>, i.e. 2016 becomes 12016, which is easier to parse at a glance than 14016.<p>I really wonder which +12.000 yrs old sites you&#x27;re referring to (no rhetoric intended, I&#x27;m really curious).