The Holocene is a geological epoch which began approximately 11,700 years ago (10,000 14C years ago). According to traditional geological thinking, the Holocene continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Neogene and Quaternary periods. Its name comes from the Greek words ὅλος (holos, whole or entire) and καινός (kainos, new), meaning "entirely recent". It has been identified with MIS 1 and can be considered an interglacial in the current ice age.