diff --git a/ebl/fragmentarium/application/date_schemas.py b/ebl/fragmentarium/application/date_schemas.py
index 530843809..dd3ba0df6 100644
--- a/ebl/fragmentarium/application/date_schemas.py
+++ b/ebl/fragmentarium/application/date_schemas.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ def remove_empty_fields(self, data: dict, **kwargs):
 
 
 class DateRangeSchema(Schema):
-    start = fields.Nested(PartialDateSchema, required=True)
+    start = fields.Nested(PartialDateSchema, allow_none=True)
     end = fields.Nested(PartialDateSchema, allow_none=True)
     notes = fields.String(allow_none=True)