Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC. This is the beginning of history, as opposed to prehistory, according to the definition used by most historians.

The term classical antiquity is often used to refer to history in the Old World from the beginning of recorded Greek history in 776 BC (First Olympiad). This roughly coincides with the traditional date of the founding of Rome in 753 BC, the beginning of the history of ancient Rome, and the beginning of the Archaic period in Ancient Greece. Although the ending date of ancient history is disputed, some Western scholars use the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, the closure of the Platonic Academy in 529 AD, the death of the emperor Justinian I, the coming of Islam or the rise of Charlemagne as the end of ancient and Classical European history.

In India, the period includes the early period of the Middle Kingdoms, and, in China, the time up to the Qin Dynasty is included.

Adjective

ancient (comparative ancienter or more ancient, superlative ancientest or most ancient)

1. Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age; very old.

   an ancient city

   an ancient forest

2. Existent or occurring in time long past, usually in remote ages; belonging to or associated with antiquity; old, as opposed to modern.

   an ancient author

   an ancient empire

Antonyms

• modern

Matching Results for Ancient:

Macedonia (region)
Ancient allegations that the Macedonians were non-Greeks all had their origin in ... Jonathan M. Hall, Professor of Ancient Greek History at the University of ...

Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu 孫子; Sūn Zǐ; (c. 6th century BC) was a Chinese General, military strategist, and author of The Art of War, an immensely influential ancient ...

Art in ancient Greece
The arts of ancient Greece have exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture. ...

Asbestos Information (Fibers, Asbestos Fibers, Chrysotile ...
The word asbestos comes from the ancient Greek ... who have been exposed to asbestos via home ... "Minimal Taxes" [
www.minimaltaxes.com/asbestos/encyclopedia.htm

---

	New Location:
city:
state/region:
country:

Society: History: By Time Period: Ancient: Wars ...
See also: Society: History: By Topic: Wars and Conflicts (100) Ancient Egyptian History - Ramses II: The Battle of Kadesh - Detailed description with maps and links.

---

Games: Miniatures: Manufacturers
Acheson Creations - Manufactures a range of 15mm, 20mm, and 25mm resin cast buildings, from many historical periods and ancient cultures through to buildings of the 20th ...

---

Society: History: By Time Period: Ancient
This category lists sites and pages devoted to the Ancient world, from the dawn of civilization to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE (including the so ...