The Holocene is a geological epoch, which began approximately 11,550 calendar years BP (about 9600 BC). According to traditional geological thinking, the Holocene continues to the present. However, recently there have been papers that propose that the Holocene ended about 300 BP (1700 AD) with the start of the Anthropocene . The Holocene is part of the Neogene and Quaternary periods. Its name comes from the Greek words ὅλος (holos, whole or entire) and κα… (More on Holocene)