How do we know it's 2018? What if, 1500 years ago, some years were skipped or miscounted?

by lewistronzo

Perhaps leap years weren't taken into account, or a powerful figure decided some years didn't exist for whichever reason...

jschooltiger

Hi there -- not discouraging further answers, but this gets asked here pretty often. This section of the FAQ may be of some interest to you, particularly this top answer from u/sunagainstgold.