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to be of older date than; precede in time:
The Peruvian empire antedates the Mexican empire.
(def 1).
to assign to an earlier date:
to antedate a historical event.
to cause to return to an earlier time:
to antedate one’s thoughts by remembering past events.
to cause to happen sooner; accelerate:
The cold weather antedated their departure from the country.
Archaic. to take or have in advance; anticipate.
a prior date.
Historical Examples

Yes, and Basil now believes he can antedate Adam, and trace some facts about his ancestry that started with a missing link.
Polly and Her Friends Abroad Lillian Elizabeth Roy

This would make them antedate July, 1759, which is not true of the bakehouse.
Old Trails on the Niagara Frontier Frank H. Severance

There are ruins here and in Yucatan which antedate by centuries anything of recorded history relating to the British Isles.
Aztec Land Maturin M. Ballou

So does the species of animal or plant outlast and antedate the lifetime of one man.
The Arena Various

They believe in local spirits who are to be worshiped; some of these are of human origin, and some antedate all human life.
Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic Sidney L. Gulick

Here again Pitt’s hopeful nature led him to antedate the course of events.
William Pitt and the Great War John Holland Rose

We must not antedate a change which is taking place very gradually in the middle of the twelfth century.
Domesday Book and Beyond Frederic William Maitland

By reading a man does as it were antedate his life, and makes himself contemporary with the ages past.
The Book Lovers’ Anthology Various

Here is the old church of St. Sergius, which is said to antedate the Moslem conquest.
The Critic in the Orient George Hamlin Fitch

And yet there are many buildings in England still standing that antedate 1725 by many years, some by centuries.
Journeys to Bagdad Charles S. Brooks

verb (transitive) (ˈæntɪˌdeɪt; ˌæntɪˈdeɪt)
to be or occur at an earlier date than
to affix a date to (a document, etc) that is earlier than the actual date
to assign a date to (an event, etc) that is earlier than its previously assigned date
to cause to occur sooner
noun (ˈæntɪˌdeɪt)
an earlier date
v.

1580s, earlier as noun meaning “a backdating, false early date attached to a document or event” (1570s); from Latin ante “before” (see ante) + date (v.1). Related: Antedated; antedating.