antiikaja

Antiikaja is the Estonian term for the historical period commonly referred to in English as Antiquity or Classical Antiquity. In Estonian historiography, antiikaja covers civilizations around the Mediterranean basin and the Near East from roughly the 8th century BCE to the 5th century CE, with some definitions extending into Late Antiquity into the 6th century CE. The exact dating varies by region and scholarly tradition, but the term is used to distinguish the ancient world from the Middle Ages in Western historiography.

The period encompasses a broad range of cultures and settings, including the Greek city-states and their Hellenistic successors, the Roman Republic and Empire, and ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, along with other Near Eastern kingdoms. It is characterized by urbanization, the emergence of centralized states, codified legal systems, and foundational developments in philosophy, science, art, religion, and trade. Subdivisions commonly recognized within antiikaja include the Archaic and Classical periods in Greece, the Hellenistic era following Alexander the Great, and the Roman era, extending up to Late Antiquity.

In contemporary usage, antiikaja serves as a framework for historical narrative and comparison, helping scholars and educators separate ancient societies from medieval and modern periods. Its boundaries are not fixed across all traditions, and the term emphasizes the interconnected, cross-cultural nature of the ancient world rather than a single polity or culture.