The gentile times had to be "reconsidered" !
Why ? - because they (the seven times) are part of "later days" prophecies , therefore the "gentile times" or the "seven times" are shorter than the "latter days" , are only a part of the latter days ! So no need to look for the "gentile times" as starting sometime before our era ....
Why so ? - because the spiritual understanding of Daniel's prophecies requires that they have to happen/take place during the latter days , and within God's people (so not with political powers)
Because the "gentile times" are exactly a part of Daniel's prophecy , Jehovah sent an angel to Daniel to tell him when and to whom will theese prophecies happen : Daniel 10:14
"Now I come to make thee understand what shall befall
-- thy people
-- in the latter days / for the vision is yet for many days "
See the study "The latter days chronology"
wt.