ANCIENT definition: 1. of or from a long time ago, having lasted for a very long time: 2. very old: 3. used to refer…. Learn more.

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 Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history covers all continents inhabited by humans in the period 3000 BC – AD 500, ending with the expansion of Islam in late antiquity. [1] The three-age ...

Define ancient. ancient synonyms, ancient pronunciation, ancient translation, English dictionary definition of ancient. adj. 1. Of, relating to, or belonging to times long past, especially before the fall of the Western Roman Empire : ancient cultures. See Synonyms at old.

Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.

The earliest known use of the word ancient is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for ancient is from around 1400, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

ancient, adj. & n.¹ meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English ...

ancient / ˈ eɪnʃənt/ adjective Britannica Dictionary definition of ANCIENT [more ancient; most ancient] 1 : very old : having lived or existed for a very long time