ancients
n. plural-only B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈeɪnʃənts// UK //ˈeɪnʃənts// an·cients
n. the people who lived a very long time ago, especially in famous civilizations like Greece or Rome.
n. people belonging to the very distant past, specifically those from the classical civilizations of antiquity.
The ancients believed that the sun moved around the earth.
Many modern architectural techniques were actually pioneered by the ancients thousands of years ago.
Scholars of the Renaissance sought to recover the lost wisdom of the ancients, translating Greek and Latin texts to revitalize European philosophy and science.
Usage
Pluralia tantum in this sense; takes a plural verb and is almost always preceded by the definite article 'the'.