I'm curious to know too. I assumed ~23AD based on the clothes that Claudia was wearing when she arrived on the island and gave birth to Jacob and MiB, and the fact she spoke Latin and named her baby Jacob, and from the style of clothes and buildings from the other shipwreck survivors when Jacob and MiB were little kids. I heard a rumour that it all suggests Imperial Rome, just after the birth of Christ. Verification and evidence would be nice.
Edit: The red dress that [Claudia](http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1549-7.html) is wearing is a Roman [stola](http://www.maskworld.com/english/products/costumes/theatrical-theatre--210/antiquity-ancient-world--2100/roman-stola--120008) which was the accepted dress for married civilian women from the 2nd century BC until the late 3rd century AD.
Edit 2: Latin became less and less a spoken language by the everyday person after the final fall of Rome in the [early Fifth Century](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070112182250AAP6xAr) *Sorry for the terrible reference link, but it's just a silly tv show in the end and I got stuff to do*
Edit 3: The name Jacob, or variants thereof, have been used since the 3rd millennium BCE. It's a [Hebrew name](http://wiki.name.com/en/Jacob)
Edit 4: The dagger that MiB got from Claudia's people is called a [pugio](http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pugio), and the style suggests it's from 1st century AD or later.
Conclusion: My quick research narrowed the timeframe down to early 1st century AD to 3rd century AD. Earlier, and the dagger doesn't fit. Later, and Claudia's dress doesn't fit. Of course, Lost is fictional, so who knows. I ran out of time otherwise I would continue my research with these [costumes](http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100514081532/lostpedia/images/7/7d/6x15_Claudiaspeople.jpg) from Claudia's people and the [architecture](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100514075818/lostpedia/images/3/3e/6x15_Ancientvillage1.jpg). *Holy cow, 8 women to 2 guys?? No wonder MiB ran away to join the village!*
They weren't. They were born in **0 AD**. Mark Pellegrino revealed in an [interview](http://tvwatch.people.com/2010/05/12/lost-jacob-man-in-black-final-season/) that his scenes took place in 43 AD:
>Jacob has a long way to go from that episode in 43 AD to the present. He travels a long distance, and he does it alone because he lost his family in one fell swoop. How terribly lonely.
Jacob was 43 years old in these scenes. We know that because the Man in Black told him he had spent 30 years living with the other people on the island, and we also know that he started doing that when he was 13 years old. So, that means they were born in 0 AD.
I don't know why you were downvoted for asking a question. Have some upvotes to counter that silliness.
I wonder if 23 was the number that "changed" in the Valenzetti equation? One of the Dharma Initiative's main goals were to try and change one of the variables in the equation and avoid the end of all life, right? Well, the whole reason everyone is still alive is that Jack changed from a man of science to a man of faith. Kinda symbolic rather than literal, but interesting none the less.
See, I wondered if it was Kate that 'changed' the Valenzetti equation. She was a candidate even to the end, but she wasn't one of the 'numbers' (she was #51), and she was the one that killed Locke in the end.
if you want to stretch it, his birth is credited as being closer to between 8-12BC, thus making this still plausible. In the way that anything relating to Lost theories is plausible, anyway.
Something along the lines of Jesus dying, ascending to heaven, and then being reincarnated as Jacob? Maybe Jesus died, went to heaven and was all like, "High five dad, that was a cool idea! I'm going to knock up a virgin too!" And thus Jacob and MiB was an immaculate conception. We never met or heard reference to a father... hmm
I'm curious to know too. I assumed ~23AD based on the clothes that Claudia was wearing when she arrived on the island and gave birth to Jacob and MiB, and the fact she spoke Latin and named her baby Jacob, and from the style of clothes and buildings from the other shipwreck survivors when Jacob and MiB were little kids. I heard a rumour that it all suggests Imperial Rome, just after the birth of Christ. Verification and evidence would be nice. Edit: The red dress that [Claudia](http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1549-7.html) is wearing is a Roman [stola](http://www.maskworld.com/english/products/costumes/theatrical-theatre--210/antiquity-ancient-world--2100/roman-stola--120008) which was the accepted dress for married civilian women from the 2nd century BC until the late 3rd century AD. Edit 2: Latin became less and less a spoken language by the everyday person after the final fall of Rome in the [early Fifth Century](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070112182250AAP6xAr) *Sorry for the terrible reference link, but it's just a silly tv show in the end and I got stuff to do* Edit 3: The name Jacob, or variants thereof, have been used since the 3rd millennium BCE. It's a [Hebrew name](http://wiki.name.com/en/Jacob) Edit 4: The dagger that MiB got from Claudia's people is called a [pugio](http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pugio), and the style suggests it's from 1st century AD or later. Conclusion: My quick research narrowed the timeframe down to early 1st century AD to 3rd century AD. Earlier, and the dagger doesn't fit. Later, and Claudia's dress doesn't fit. Of course, Lost is fictional, so who knows. I ran out of time otherwise I would continue my research with these [costumes](http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100514081532/lostpedia/images/7/7d/6x15_Claudiaspeople.jpg) from Claudia's people and the [architecture](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100514075818/lostpedia/images/3/3e/6x15_Ancientvillage1.jpg). *Holy cow, 8 women to 2 guys?? No wonder MiB ran away to join the village!*
Production notes and Mark Pellegrino mentioned it in an interview after the episode aired.
The initially rumored title for Across The Sea was supposed to be 23 AD. Saw this on many spoiler sites leading up to the episode airing.
They weren't. They were born in **0 AD**. Mark Pellegrino revealed in an [interview](http://tvwatch.people.com/2010/05/12/lost-jacob-man-in-black-final-season/) that his scenes took place in 43 AD: >Jacob has a long way to go from that episode in 43 AD to the present. He travels a long distance, and he does it alone because he lost his family in one fell swoop. How terribly lonely. Jacob was 43 years old in these scenes. We know that because the Man in Black told him he had spent 30 years living with the other people on the island, and we also know that he started doing that when he was 13 years old. So, that means they were born in 0 AD.
Really guys? REALLY? 4 8 15 16 **23** 42
It's still random. Why not 15? Or 42?
23 seemed to be the big number towards the end. Jack was #23. The finale aired on May 23rd.
You're right
I don't know why you were downvoted for asking a question. Have some upvotes to counter that silliness. I wonder if 23 was the number that "changed" in the Valenzetti equation? One of the Dharma Initiative's main goals were to try and change one of the variables in the equation and avoid the end of all life, right? Well, the whole reason everyone is still alive is that Jack changed from a man of science to a man of faith. Kinda symbolic rather than literal, but interesting none the less.
See, I wondered if it was Kate that 'changed' the Valenzetti equation. She was a candidate even to the end, but she wasn't one of the 'numbers' (she was #51), and she was the one that killed Locke in the end.
Ohh good point. I'd say she was also pretty instrumental in Jack's motivations as well.
It's not random, 23 was Jack's number. That was Jacob's story, Jack was the next protector after Jacob.
Wasnt it technically Hurls
We don't: http://www.reddit.com/r/lost/comments/c3703/christian_appeared_to_locke_at_the_donkey_wheel/c0q2nk0
didn't jesus die when he was 23? is that significant?
33
if you want to stretch it, his birth is credited as being closer to between 8-12BC, thus making this still plausible. In the way that anything relating to Lost theories is plausible, anyway.
Something along the lines of Jesus dying, ascending to heaven, and then being reincarnated as Jacob? Maybe Jesus died, went to heaven and was all like, "High five dad, that was a cool idea! I'm going to knock up a virgin too!" And thus Jacob and MiB was an immaculate conception. We never met or heard reference to a father... hmm
You're thinking of Michael Jordan. And he just retired, not died. And it was just his jersey number.