Here we are, going on and on about antiquities and ancient art without having defined what it is that we mean by these terms. Interestingly this term does not have a precise definition, and what is “ancient” to one person may just be “old” to someone else. After all, it is not uncommon to refer to many apartments in New York City, or old people, or anything out of style as “ancient.” But of course the word really means much older than merely “old.” All kidding aside, what is the definition of antiquities?

Curiously, the date for what constitutes an object as “ancient” keeps getting pushed back in time.  For instance, in the 18th century something “Gothic” would have been considered “ancient art” although it may have only been 400-600 years old, whereas nowadays that same object, which is now actually 200-300 years older, is not considered to be “ancient” at all.

The “Departmant of Antiquities” at Christie’s Auction House includes artifacts from “the dawn of civilization” until the “Dark Ages.” The Dark Ages referring to the European Middle Ages beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire in the early 5th century and lasting until the 12th century. Later than that and your art object is merely “old.”

Academics tend not to use the term due to its lack of precision. It is best to describe each individual object according to its date and place of origin. The term ‘antiquities’ may be imprecise, but we can all agree they are fascinating and worth our appreciation.