antiquity

antiquity — noun

1. the long historical period running roughly from the earliest known civilizations

1.nounC1
Definition

the long historical period running roughly from the earliest known civilizations through the fall of Rome — most often used to refer to the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome before the Middle Ages.

Example

Professor Aoki teaches a course on warfare in classical antiquity.

fixed phrase: classical antiquity for Greek/Roman period

In antiquity, Athenian citizens met on a hill called the Pnyx to vote on new laws.

prepositional phrase: in antiquity meaning long ago

Common collocations
  • classical antiquity
  • in antiquity
  • remote antiquity
  • Greco-Roman antiquity
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • modernity

    the contemporary era and its way of life

Grammar Patterns

in antiquity

Usage Note

Often appears in the fixed phrases 'classical antiquity' (Greek and Roman world) and 'in antiquity' (during that period). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the era itself, not the age of an object.

Common Mistakes

My grandfather lived in antiquity.
My grandfather lived a long time ago.
antiquity refers to the ancient world (before about the 6th century), not to any old time within living memory.

2. the quality of having existed for an extremely long stretch of time — used when

2.nounC1
Definition

the quality of having existed for an extremely long stretch of time — used when stressing how impressively old a building, custom, document, or tradition is.

Example

The wooden bridge in the village is of considerable antiquity, dating back to the Heian period.

fixed pattern: of (considerable / great) antiquity

Scholars argue about the antiquity of the manuscript hidden in the abbey library.

the antiquity of + noun

Common collocations
  • of considerable antiquity
  • of great antiquity
  • the antiquity of
  • venerable antiquity
Synonyms
  • age

    neutral; antiquity stresses extreme age and is more formal

  • ancientness

    rare and clunky; antiquity is preferred in writing

Antonyms
  • newness

    the property of having existed only briefly

Grammar Patterns

of (considerable / great) antiquity

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the pattern 'of [adjective] antiquity' or 'the antiquity of [noun]'. Distinguish from sense 1: here antiquity is a property something HAS, not the period it belongs to.

Common Mistakes

This watch has antiquity.
This watch is of great antiquity.
the noun is normally introduced with 'of' plus an adjective, not used as a bare object.

3. a coin, statue, vase, or similar object made in ancient times that has survived

3.nounC1
Definition

a coin, statue, vase, or similar object made in ancient times that has survived to the present day, usually kept in a museum or held by a collector.

Example

The Cairo museum just bought a small bronze antiquity that was smuggled out of Iraq in the 1990s.

countable singular use

Police arrested two dealers for selling stolen Roman antiquities at a London auction house.

plural form: stolen antiquities

Common collocations
  • Greek antiquities
  • Roman antiquities
  • stolen antiquities
  • trade in antiquities
Synonyms
  • artifact

    any human-made object of historical interest, not necessarily ancient

  • relic

    stresses survival from the past, often with religious overtones

  • antique

    covers any old valuable object; antiquity is reserved for items from ancient civilizations

Grammar Patterns

antiquities (plural)

Usage Note

Most often used in the plural ('antiquities') for collections, trade, and law. Distinguish from sense 1 (the era) and sense 2 (great age): this sense is concrete — a thing you can pick up or display.

Common Mistakes

My grandmother's vase is an antiquity.
My grandmother's vase is an antique.
'antiquity' suggests something from ancient civilizations (Roman, Egyptian, etc.); 'antique' is the everyday word for any old, valuable object.

Word family

  • antique
    adjectiveB2
  • antique
    nounB2
  • antiquated
    adjectiveC1
  • antiquarian
    nounC2
  • antiquarian
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four expressions point at the deep past, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Ancient times' is the everyday phrase a teacher might use with children: broad, neutral, and reaching back as far as you like. 'Antiquity' is the academic and formal cousin, preferred in books, museum captions, and lectures; it usually means the period before the Middle Ages, with a strong Greco-Roman flavour. 'The classical era' is narrower still — it picks out the cultural high points of Greece and Rome and excludes earlier civilizations like the Egyptians or Sumerians. 'The ancient world' is more geographical: it stresses the lands and peoples (Egypt, Persia, China, Mesoamerica) rather than a stretch of time. Compare: 'soldiers fought with bronze weapons in ancient times' (general) versus 'warfare in classical antiquity' (a course title) versus 'pottery from the ancient world' (a museum gallery).

antiquity ↗ancient timesthe classical erathe ancient world

Common collocations

Nouns

  • classical antiquity
  • Greek antiquity
  • Roman antiquity

Phrases

  • dating back to antiquity
  • lost to antiquity
  • since antiquity

Prepositions

  • in antiquity
  • from antiquity
  • of antiquity

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

English borrowed 'antiquity' in the late 1300s from Old French 'antiquité', which came in turn from Latin 'antiquitas', a noun built on 'antiquus' meaning 'old, former'. The Latin root is itself related to 'ante', meaning 'before'. Early English use covered both the abstract idea of great age and the concrete sense of a remembered far-off era; the meaning 'an object surviving from ancient times' developed slightly later, alongside the rise of European collecting and museum culture from the 16th century onward.