Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of … May 11, 2026 · ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past. of or from a long time ago, having lasted for a very long time: 2. Ancient means belonging to the distant past, especially to the period in history before the end of the Roman Empire. They believed ancient Greece and Rome were vital sources of learning. ancient synonyms, ancient pronunciation, ancient translation, English dictionary definition of ancient. Definition of ancient adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. belonging to a period of history that is thousands of years in the past. Archaeologists are excavating the ruined temples of … There are 21 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word ancient, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
