ἀρχαῖος, α, ον,
(ἀρχή I) from the beginning or origin:
__I mostly of things, ancient, σκότος[[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Coloneus” 106; ἐσθής 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 5.88; δόμοις ἐπασσάλευσαν ἀρχαῖον γάνος 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Agamemnon” 579 codices; Ζηνὸς ἀρχαίοις νόμοις 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Coloneus” 1382] Refs 5th c.BC+]; χερὸς σῆς πίστιν ἀρχαίαν faith firm for ever, [[[prev. work] 1632 codices ] Refs]
__I.2 old-fashioned, antiquated, [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Prometheus Vinctus” 317 (Lyric poetry), 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Nubes” 984, 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 22.14 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; of literary style, [[ 4th c.BC: Demetrius Phalereus Rhetor “Demetrius on Style” 244. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__I.2.b simple, silly, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Nubes” 915, +others, 5th c.BC: Pherecrates Comicus 205; -ότερος εἶ τοῦ δέοντος 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Euthydemus” 295c, etc. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.3 ancient, former, τὸ ἀ. ῥέεθον[[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.75; τοῦ ἀ. λόγου [prev. author] 7.160; οὐ γὰρ δὴ τό γ᾽ ἀ. δέμας 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Coloneus” 110] Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἱ ἀ., opposed to οἱ ὕστερον, [[ 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 2.16; ἀ. φύσις 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Choephori” 281, 5th c.BC: Hippocrates Medicus “περὶ ἄρθρων ἐμβολῆς” 53, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Symposium” 193c, etc.; φύσις καὶ κατάστασις ἀ. 3rd c.AD: Democritus Epigrammaticus 278; coupled with παλαιός, παλαιὸν δῶρον ἀρχαίου θηρός 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Trachiniae” 555, compare 5th c.BC: Lysias Orator 6.51, D. [prev. cited] ] Refs 5th c.BC+]