ancients
Greeks and Romans
The ancients are people from long-ago civilizations, especially the Greeks and Romans: The ancients believed the Earth was the center of the universe.
The term implies a period distant enough to feel mythic or foundational to modern culture.
Ancient as an adjective describes extreme age or antiquity: ancient ruins, ancient history.
Calling something ancient history dismisses it as no longer relevant.
Ancestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
- patriarchsMale ancestral leaders
- matriarchsFemale family rulers
- sagesProfoundly learned people
greybeards · eldership · lineage · heritage · bloodline · genealogy · predecessors · elders
Ancient Athenian questioning philosopher
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
- AristotleGreek founder of formal logic
- ConfuciusAncient Chinese ethical teacher
- EpicurusAthenian pleasure-seeking sage
Zeno · Pythagoras · Heraclitus · Democritus · Seneca · Marcus Aurelius · Cicero · Thales
Lasting without end
- agelessWithout apparent deterioration
- enduringPersisting through time
- immemorialToo old to recall
- time-honoredRespected due to age
classical · venerable · antiquated · primordial · archaic · hoary · storied · legendary
Tigris-Euphrates river region
- EgyptiansNorth African Arab nation's people
- SumeriansAncient southern Mesopotamian people
- GreeksNatives of Athens' homeland
- RomansAncient Italy's imperial people
Persians · Babylonians · Phoenicians · Assyrians · Minoans · Carthaginians · Hittites · Mayans
Apex-topped geometric solids
- obelisksTall tapering stone monuments
- zigguratsMesopotamian terraced temple structures
- sarcophagiDecorated stone burial chests
- amphoraeAncient twin-handled storage jars
scrolls · steles · hieroglyphics · cuneiform · bas-reliefs · mosaics · frescoes · potsherds
All gods of a religion
- deitiesWorshipped supernatural beings
- OlympiansGreek gods or top athletes
- TitansElder Greek deities
- ZeusGreek sky god
Hera · Poseidon · Apollo · Athena · Hades · Hercules · Odyssey · Iliad
Penetrating mental acuity
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- discernmentKeen perception and judgment
- eruditionExtensive scholarly knowledge
- knowledgeUnderstood facts and skills
teachings · proverbs · parables · philosophies · traditions · lore · customs · insights
forebears
Ancestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
- patriarchsMale ancestral leaders
- matriarchsFemale family rulers
sages · greybeards · eldership · lineage · heritage · bloodline · genealogy · predecessors · elders
Socrates
Ancient Athenian questioning philosopher
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
- AristotleGreek founder of formal logic
- ConfuciusAncient Chinese ethical teacher
Epicurus · Zeno · Pythagoras · Heraclitus · Democritus · Seneca · Marcus Aurelius · Cicero · Thales · Lao Tzu
eternal
Lasting without end
- agelessWithout apparent deterioration
- enduringPersisting through time
- immemorialToo old to recall
time-honored · classical · venerable · antiquated · primordial · archaic · hoary · storied · legendary · fabled
Mesopotamia
Tigris-Euphrates river region
- EgyptiansNorth African Arab nation's people
- SumeriansAncient southern Mesopotamian people
- GreeksNatives of Athens' homeland
Romans · Persians · Babylonians · Phoenicians · Assyrians · Minoans · Carthaginians · Hittites · Mayans · Aztecs
pyramids
Apex-topped geometric solids
- obelisksTall tapering stone monuments
- zigguratsMesopotamian terraced temple structures
- sarcophagiDecorated stone burial chests
amphorae · scrolls · steles · hieroglyphics · cuneiform · bas-reliefs · mosaics · frescoes · potsherds · papyrus
pantheon
All gods of a religion
Zeus · Hera · Poseidon · Apollo · Athena · Hades · Hercules · Odyssey · Iliad · oracles
sagacity
Penetrating mental acuity
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- discernmentKeen perception and judgment
- eruditionExtensive scholarly knowledge
knowledge · teachings · proverbs · parables · philosophies · traditions · lore · customs · insights · learning
- seniorssenior citizens, senior, elderly, old woman, old lady
ancientsmoderns
Contemporary people
contemporaries · posterity · future generations · newcomers · latecomers
ancientsmoderns
Contemporary people
modernists · innovators · progressives · revolutionaries · reformers
- ancient historyStudy of earliest civilizations
- ancient empiresHistorical superpowers now vanished
- ancient coinsCurrency from past eras
- ancient timesLong-ago historical era
- ancient religionsSpiritual practices of antiquity
- ancient deitiesGods of antiquity