Antiquity refers to ancient times, especially before the Middle Ages, or to the people and cultures of those times. It can also mean an ancient object of historical or artistic value.
From Latin 'antiquitas' meaning 'ancient times' or 'old age', from 'antiquus' meaning 'old' or 'former'. It entered English through French scholarly writing.
To historians, 'antiquity' is a technical time period, not just 'anything old'. A 2,000-year-old statue counts as antiquity, but a 200-year-old chair is just antique—notice how the same root splits into different uses.
“Antiquity” often refers to classical civilizations whose recorded histories prioritized male elites, underrepresenting women’s and lower-status people’s roles. Early scholarship on antiquity frequently treated women as marginal to politics, science, and culture.
When discussing antiquity, avoid assuming that public life was exclusively male; highlight evidence of women’s and gender-diverse people’s participation where available.
["ancient times","early historical period"]
Women in antiquity contributed to philosophy, medicine, literature, and governance, though their names and works were often omitted, misattributed, or preserved only in fragments.
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