Ankstyvieji

Ankstyvieji is a Lithuanian term meaning "the early ones" or "early people." It is used as a generic label across fields to describe populations, beings, or figures associated with early arrival, initiation, or the dawn of a period or process. The word derives from anksti 'early' with the suffix -vieji, which forms collective nouns.

In archaeology and ethnography, the term can appear in scholarly or popular discussion to refer to early inhabitants or settlers of a region, especially when contrasting with later groups described as vėlyvieji ('the latecomers'). Its application is contextual and not intended as a precise ethnonym.

In folklore and literature, ankstyvieji may denote primordial beings connected with dawn, creation, or the origin of a people or order. They are commonly used symbolically to evoke beginnings, innocence, or transition from night to day. The concept is flexible and appears in poetry, myth retellings, and modern narratives exploring origins.

In contemporary usage, the phrase is employed metaphorically to describe pioneers, early adopters of a technology or movement, or groups that initiate a new practice. It can carry connotations of novelty and prefiguration, without prescribing any specific historical identity.

See also: Early humans, Dawn, Pioneer, Early adopters.