The phrase "a relatively ancient" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing something that is old in comparison to other things, but not the oldest.
Example: "The artifact is a relatively ancient piece of pottery, dating back to the early civilization."
Alternatives: "somewhat ancient" or "fairly old".
Before the advent of cellphones or the Internet, Ms. Siebert had WATS lines to her office, a relatively ancient acronym that stands for Wide Area Telephone Service.
It is built on a relatively ancient technology, with coin-size antennas assigned to each person in the coverage area who signs up for the service.
She began training at the advanced age of 12 and is now a relatively ancient 21; has the body of a woman, not a child; comes from South America, not Eastern Europe; and is black, not white.
Flaubert's last published book, "Three Tales," a collection of three simple stories, suggests a similar kind of refinement and distillation, but on the other hand, at the time of his death (he lived to a relatively ancient 58) Flaubert was still trying to finish "Bouvard and Pécuchet," a grand and immensely complicated satire on all human knowledge and human pretension.
The heavyweight American motorcycle is a relatively ancient type, having evolved into much of its present form six or seven decades ago when manufacturers began pairing their biggest V-twin engines with foot-forward controls, stretched-out handlebars and pushed-back seats.
It is interpreted as a relatively ancient (pre-Variscan) lithospheric block involved in the Variscan belt.
Thus, habitat suitability for the endangered broad-headed snake may be spatially heterogeneous as a result of relatively ancient local events that reduced gecko numbers.
Notably, the patterns of gene expression for FAD7/8-1 and FAD7/8-2 were observed for both A and D subgenomic copies, suggesting relatively ancient, predominant establishment of FAD7/8-1 as a cold-responsive gene in cotton.
Mr. Anderson says his interest in the libretto of an unfolding technological revolution is relatively ancient.
These geographically isolated and deeply divergent lineages of Crenadactylus appear to be relatively ancient relics of a former much wider distribution, now greatly attenuated by the expansion of severe aridity.
This isn't exactly a foregone conclusion: there are examples of relatively ancient pottery -- 4,000 to 6,000 years old -- at several other points in the museum, as we shall see.
