Before AD what did people of the BC era call their years? How were years counted in the BC era? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

Before AD what did people of the BC era call their years? How were years counted in the BC era?

by happykoala7

I assume it was different around the world, but generally (if there can even be a general answer) how were years counted.

Follow up question, what prompted the change from whatever society used to begin using the BC / AD counting of years?

WelfOnTheShelf

There are some previous answers in the FAQ for similar questions:

How confident are we that the year is actually and exactly 2016? Is it possible that at some point in the last 2000 years there were any significant timekeeping mistakes? and Did people in the Middle Ages call the year "one thousand and one" or "ten oh one"? by sunagainstgold

At what point did society begin referring to the year in modern terms (2012 etc)? by /u/Algernon_Asimov