Since ancient times

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yes, I didn't want to use the present perfect for the reason GoodTaste mentioned. It doesn't play an important part anymore so the present perfect is wrong but why is it wrong to use 'since' with the simple past?
Since ancient times, hunting played an important part in people's lives. Is it because since suggests it is still contiues to be an important part while it actually is not?
The part in bold is removed from the second sentence. 'Since the first people existed in the world hunting represented a part of their lives.' If I start my sentence with 'since' which tense should I use if it's wrong to use the present perfect?

You're trying to shoehorn a word in that doesn't fit. The best thing to do is rewrite the beginning. Examples:

- For thousands of years, hunting played an important part . . . .
- Until the industrial age, hunting played an important part . . . .
- Until the modern era, hunting played an important part . . . .
- From ancient times until the twentieth century, hunting played an important part . . . .