ancient texts
Writings from antiquity
Ancient texts are written works from long-ago civilizations—classical literature, religious scriptures, philosophical treatises, historical records.
The phrase suggests documents old enough to require scholarly interpretation or translation: Scholars pored over ancient texts to understand Mesopotamian culture.
What qualifies as "ancient" varies by context, but generally means pre-medieval or earlier.
- sutrasAphoristic teaching verses
- inscriptionsWords carved into surfaces
- papyrusAncient plant-derived writing material
- chroniclesSequential historical accounts
- parchmentTreated hide for manuscripts
vellum · annals · codices · scriptures · tablet · epics · dialogues · cuneiforms · clay tablets · palimpsest · runes · Vedas · oracle bones · edicts · epigraphy · colophon · philology · scrolls
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- historypast events, historian, epochs, era, epoch
- ancient historyMesopotamia, Babylon, Assyria, Sumer, Egyptian
- ancient worldpyramids, pyramid, Athens, Sparta, Zeus
- Literary traditionsmythology, folklore, fairy tales, fables, legends
- classicsHomer, Iliad, the Iliad, Odyssey, the Odyssey
ancient textscontemporary literature
Recent era's published works
breaking news · postmodern literature · cutting-edge research
ancient textsdigital content
Electronic files for consumption
electronic documents · e-books · web pages · digital archives · blogs
ancient textsephemera
Disposables preserved as collectibles
pulp fiction · viral content · clickbait · junk mail · spam