While 'ancient' CAN mean 'remote', what counts is the way it is understood by the reader, which is usually the most common meaning of the word. In English, it *usually* applies to civilized societies that have a recorded history, rather than indigenous groups. For example, the Babylonian, Egyptian, Middle Eastern, Greek, and Roman. Sample definitions:
an·cient
/ˈeɪnʃənt/ Show Spelled[eyn-shuhnt] Show IPA
–adjective
1. of or in time long past, especially before the end of the Western Roman Empire a.d. 476: ancient history.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ancientAncient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Middle Ages.
Study - Chronology - Prominent civilizations - Developments
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history