also: じょうせい
Refers to the distant past, often in historical or literary contexts. The reading じょうせい is standard; かみつよ is archaic.
Valuable pottery was excavated from the ruins of ancient times.
This custom can be traced back to antiquity.
Standard kanji spelling; じょうせい is the more common reading in modern contexts.
Archaic reading; mainly found in classical texts or historical references.
Compound of 上 (early, upper) and 世 (age, era). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with 'ancient times'.