"Boundary/limit before which"; standard
Latin phrase used in
archaeology,
palaeography,
epigraphy, and textual dating to denote the latest possible date of an object or text's creation. Thus, the
Gallus papyri found at
Qasr Ibrim have a
terminus ante quem of about 60 A.D., based on the latest known date of the fort's
Roman occupation, and a
terminus post quem of 23 B.C.
Generally used whenever a date cannot be set within a reasonably specific time-frame.