Despite the ongoing debate about the moment of the emergence of each ancient settlement, there is a more or less agreed list, including the oldest cities in the world, in which life went on continuously, and now they are inhabited.
One of the oldest
Jericho tops the list, mentioned more than once in the Bible under the name “city of palm trees,” although the name is translated from Hebrew as “moon city”. Historians attribute the date of its occurrence as a settlement to the VII millennium BC, although some of the traces of habitability found belong to IX. That is, people lived here in the time of chalcolithic or before the ceramic Neolithic. It so happened that the location of Jericho has been on the warpath since time immemorial, again in the Bible there is a description of the capture of the city. He endlessly changed hands, the last time happened in 1993, when Jericho passed to Palestine. Repeatedly over the millennia, residents left it, but always returned and rebuilt. Now located 10 km from the Dead Sea, Jericho is readily visited by tourists, as it is rich in attractions (for example, there was a courtyard of King Herod). In addition, this most ancient city on earth is also unique in that, so to speak, it is the deepest settlement, since it is 240 meters below sea level.
Which one is older
The second (sometimes disputes primacy) on the list of "The oldest cities in the world" is Damascus, the capital of modern Syria. Its occurrence also dates back to prehistoric times, but it becomes a large city after the Aramaic invasion dating back to 1400 BC. One of the most charming cities in the Middle East, it is full of attractions. What is only the Umayyad Mosque, included in the list of the greatest temples in the world, in which the head of John the Baptist is kept . The city is so ancient that there is a belief that the first wall built on the ground after the Flood was just the Damascus wall. The old city, which has not changed its appearance for many centuries, is also surrounded by a wall, but it was erected at the time of Ancient Rome.
Also the oldest
Concludes the first three settlements of the list of "Ancient cities of the world" Lebanese Bible. Needless to say, in some lists he is listed second, and even first by seniority. These three cities arose long before the Copper Age, but, starting from it, were continuously inhabited. The Bible is located in a suburb of Beirut. The name of the city itself suggests that it was once a biblical city and was called Gebal. The Phoenician settlement, in ancient times, it was the center of the papyrus trade, and now it is a famous tourist attraction. It is interesting in that a small number of inscriptions found on ancient artifacts are still not deciphered, because this type of proto-biblical writing has no spaces. There are about 100 signs, and there are few inscriptions. The date of the emergence of the next city of Susa is disputed, like the largest city of modern Syria, Aleppo - someone believes that in the VII millennium BC these cities already existed, someone did not.
The trailing list of the "oldest"
The birth of subsequent cities dates back to 4 millennium BC. The Crimean Feodosia is not mentioned in most often cited lists called “The oldest cities in the world,” although it was considered to be the “eternal city” on the territory of Russia, since it was founded, according to some sources, in the VI century BC and was known as Ardabra .
Another ten oldest include such settlements as Lebanese Sidon (4 thousand BC). The same time dates the emergence of the Egyptian Fayyum (Greek Crocodilpol) and Bulgarian Plovdiv. Turkish Gaziantep and the Lebanese capital Beirut are several centuries younger. Further on the list, the following cities are most often mentioned: Jerusalem, Tire, Erbil, Kirkuk, Jaffa. All of them arose many centuries before our reckoning and are among the "oldest."
The oldest in Russia
Neither Derbent, nor Zurich, nor Ningbo are included in the most common lists called "Ancient Cities of the World", although they have at least 6,000-year history of existence. So, Derbent (from the Arabic Bab al-Abwab - its name is translated as “gate of the gate” or “big gate”), according to some reports, was already a settlement in the 4th millennium BC. This southernmost city of the Russian Federation already existed in the Bronze Age. Translated from the Azerbaijani language, its name sounds like “closed gates”. It is located in the isthmus between the Caucasian ridge and the western coast of the Caspian Sea. This ancient settlement has always been the gateway to the caravans traveling from Europe to Asia.
Also the "oldest"
For most people, the concept of ancient Europe is associated primarily with Greece. However, Swiss Zurich is much more ancient. The first settlements on its territory arose in 4430-4230 BC, that is, in the 5th millennium.
Closer to our reckoning, the Celts conquered it, then the settlement became part of the Roman Empire, and at that time it was already called Turikum. The Chinese city of Ningbo, which is directly related to the Hemudu culture that existed in the 5th millennium BC, according to some statements, was already inhabited in the Neolithic era. Archeology does not stand still, and the list of the oldest cities on the planet will include new names.
Closer to our reckoning
The list of "Ancient cities of the world" is much wider than the "Ancient", because many civilizations belong to the 2nd millennium BC. The location of the settlements that arose during these centuries goes beyond the Middle East. In Europe, these are primarily the cities of
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. At this head of the list of "Permanently populated cities of the ancient world" Athens. Notes on this city-state also begin with the words that these places were inhabited even in the Neolithic era. But Athens is described in detail, starting from the late Hellenic period, that is, from 1700-1200 BC. The golden age for this powerful policy began in the middle of the 1st millennium, during the reign of Pericles. Legendary monuments known to the whole world were built precisely during this period, which is fairly well studied and described by the ancient Greek classics. Historical evidence such as the works of Bachelid, Hyperid, Menander and Herod written on papyrus have survived to this day. The works of later, world-famous Greek authors formed the basis of the popular "Myths and Legends" by N. Kuhn. Ancient Greek philosophy, science, culture are the foundation of modern knowledge.
Extensive list
The names of the ancient cities of the world represent a very extensive list, which occupies more than one page, because the period of Antiquity ends in our chronology, has a specific date - 476 AD, indicating the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This period is well studied, and the existence of many cities is documented.
Therefore, from the entire huge list, there are several settlements that are known to literally everyone. The cities that disappeared from the face of the earth, but remained in historical evidence or in the memory of descendants, will also enter it. These include such great cities of the Ancient World as Babylon and Palmyra, Pompeii and Thebes, Chichen Itza and Ur, Pergamum and Cuzco, the ancient Greek Knossos and Mycenae, many cities in Asia and other continents. The mysteries of the ruins of these cities have yet to be solved. For example, the mysterious Angkor, lost in the jungle, is the stone heart of Cambodia, rediscovered for the world in the middle of the XIX century, although the history of its origin goes back to the second century of our era. Or located at the top of the mountain, located at an altitude of 2450 meters above sea level, the no less mysterious Machu Picchu. This oldest "city in heaven" is located in Peru.
The highlight of the city
The ancient city of Demre, in comparison with the above settlements, is simply young. The first mention of it dates back to the V century (not the millennium) BC. But this is a legendary city. Known in antiquity under the name of Peace, he is famous not only for unusual architectural monuments, but primarily for the fact that St. Nicholas studied, lived and became famous here, he is Nikolai Ugodnik, the Miracle Worker, aka St. Nikolaas and Santa Claus. The most wonderful tradition of giving New Year's gifts came from this city. The initiator was St. Nicholas, the first bishop of Mira. The ancient city of Demre is a very popular tourist attraction.
The Demre-Mira-Kekova route is very popular. The city has preserved a beautiful ancient Roman theater, the size of which allows us to judge the significance of this large coastal center in antiquity. Kekova is an island. It is noteworthy in that its shores are a continuation of the walls of the city that sunk as a result of an earthquake. Very good is the modern city of Demre, which is the center of the province of the same name in Turkey.
A very concise list
Mysterious and beautiful ancient cities of the world. The list of the most famous is as follows: Byblos, Jericho and Aleppo, followed by Susa, Damascus, El Fayyum and Plovdiv. It will be fair to point out Derbent and Zurich, the “eternal city” of Rome, as well as several settlements of ancient China (Ningbo, Changsha, Changzhou and others).
The disappeared Babylon, Palmyra, Pompeii, Ur and Mycenae supplement this more than modest list of ancient cities. The ancient Persian Persipolus boasts unique sights. At one time, it was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, which founded a huge state in the VI-V centuries BC, which was later conquered by Alexander the Great. All ancient cities are surrounded by legends, which are very interesting to get acquainted with.