In the process of historical development, entire states and peoples appeared and disappeared. Some of them still exist, others forever disappeared from the face of the Earth. One of the most controversial issues is which of the peoples is the oldest in the world. Many nationalities claim this title, but none of the sciences can give an exact answer.
There are a number of assumptions that allow us to consider some of the peoples of the world as the oldest living on our planet. Opinions on this subject vary depending on which sources historians rely on, what territory they explore and what their origin is. This spawns many versions. Some scholars believe that Russians are the most ancient people on earth, whose origins are rooted in the Iron Age.
Khoisan people
African inhabitants, called the Khoisan people, are considered the oldest race in the world. They were recognized as such after a genetic study.
Scientists have discovered that the DNA of San people, as they are also called, is the most common compared to any other group.
People who have lived as hunter-gatherers for millennia are the direct ancestors of the early modern inhabitants who migrated from the continent. Thus, they spread their DNA outside of South Africa, it is believed that they are the most ancient people in the world.
A study by the University of Pennsylvania showed that all populations came from 14 ancient African lines.
The first people appeared in southern Africa, probably near the border of South Africa and Namibia, and today there are more genetic changes on the continent than anywhere else on Earth.
Khoisan spread
Researchers have found that these nations as independents began to form 100 thousand years before the beginning of a new era, before humanity began its journey from Africa around the world.
If such information can be believed, then about 43,000 years ago, the Khoisans were divided into a southern and northern group, some of them retained their national identity, others mixed with neighboring tribes and lost their genetic identity. In the DNA of Khoisans, “relict” genes were discovered that provide increased physical strength and endurance, as well as a high degree of vulnerability to ultraviolet radiation.
Initially, the differences between early herders, farmers, and hunter-gatherers were not overwhelming, and many groups coexisted in many areas. The first evidence of cattle breeding is found in the drier west of the continent. There were found bones of sheep and goats, stone tools and pottery. The history of the continent is connected with the origins of these communities, and their evolution into modern societies of South Africa.
Khoisan culture
Khoisan languages arose on the basis of one of the dialects of hunters and gatherers of northern Botswana.
According to data obtained during archaeological excavations, pastures and ceramics in this culture arose at the end of the first millennium BC. Cattle appeared a little later. Iron farmers lived in western Zimbabwe or northeastern South Africa. Freely organized shepherds quickly expanded, which was due to their need for new pastures. Along with cattle breeding and pottery, other signs of change appeared: domestic dogs, progress in the set of tools for processing stones, new settlement patterns, and some findings indicated the development of long-distance trade.
The life of the ancient African people
Most of South Africa's early agricultural communities share a common culture that has spread significantly throughout the region since the 2nd century AD. e. Around the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. rural communities lived in relatively large, semi-populated villages. They raised sorghum, millet and legumes, and also raised sheep, goats and cattle. They made pottery and made iron tools.
The established relationships between hunters, shepherds, and farmers for more than 2,000 years of socio-economic change ranged from general resistance to assimilation. For indigenous peoples of South Africa, the boundaries between different livelihoods presented new dangers and opportunities. As the new culture spread, larger, more successful agricultural communities were created. In many areas, a new lifestyle has been adopted by hunter-gatherers.
Basques
Trying to answer the question, which is the oldest people, scientists were engaged in the study of the Basque people. The origin of the tribes of northern Spain and southwestern France is one of the strangest anthropological mysteries. Their language is not connected with anything else in the world, and their DNA has a unique genetic composition.
The Basque country is a territory in the north of Spain, bordering the Bay of Biscay in the north, with the French Basque regions in the northeast and the areas of Navarra, La Rioja, Castile, Leon and Cantabria.
Now they are part of Spain, but at one time the inhabitants of the Basque Country (as we know it today) were part of an independent nation known as the Kingdom of Navarre, which existed from the 9th to the 16th centuries.
Studies have shown that the genetic characteristics of Basques differ from the genetic models of their neighbors. For example, the Spaniards have been shown to have North African DNA, while the Basques do not.
Basque features
Another example is their language - eusquera. Both French and Spanish (and almost all other European languages) are Indo-European, which are descendants of one prehistoric dialect that was once spoken in the Neolithic era. However, the Basque language does not apply to them. In fact, Eusquera is one of the oldest known dialects and is not related to any other language that is spoken in the world today.
The Basque Country is surrounded by the sea and a wild rocky coastline on one side, and high mountains on the other. Because of this landscape, the Basque territory remained isolated for millennia, it was very difficult to conquer, and therefore it was not affected by migration.
New studies show that the Basques came from early Middle East hunter-gatherers who lived about 7,000 years ago and mixed with the local population before completely isolating themselves.
All this makes it possible to assume that the Basques are one of the earliest human inhabitants of Europe. They arrived before the Celts, as well as before the spread of Indo-European languages and the migration of the Iron Age. Some believe that they really can be associated with the Paleolithic Europeans in the early Stone Age.
Chinese
The Han people belong to the largest ethnic group in China, with about 90% of the people in the mainland representing the Han people. Today they make up 19% of the total population of the Earth. This is the most ancient people of Asia. The emergence of this nation occurred during the development of Neolithic cultures, the formation of which took place in the V-III millennium BC. e.
The Han people flourished in China for a long time, and more and more people gradually settled around the world. Now they can be found in Macau, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Japan, Laos, India, Cambodia, Malaysia, Russia, the USA, Canada, Peru, France and England. Almost one in five people on our planet is an ethnically Khan Chinese, although most of them live in the People's Republic of China.
Historical role
Previously, the Han people ruled and influenced China during the Han Dynasty, starting in 206 BC. At this time, art and science flourished, which is often called the country's Golden Age. The period in which Buddhism appeared saw the spread of Confucianism and Taoism, and also gave impetus to the development of Chinese characters in writing. In addition, this was the beginning of the creation of the Silk Road, an era when trade was established between China and many countries far in the west. The first state emperor, Huang Di, also called the Yellow Emperor, who united the country, is considered the ancestor of the Han. Huang Di ruled the Hua Xia tribe, who lived on the Yellow River, so he received the appropriate title. This area and the waters flowing here are regarded by the Han Dynasty as the cradle of their civilization, from where the Han culture began and then spread everywhere.
Language, religion and culture
Chanyu was the language of this nation, later it turned into an early version of the Chinese Mandarin dialect. It has also been used as a link between many local languages. Folk religion played a significant role in the life of the Han people. The worship of the images of Chinese mythology and the ancestors of the clan was closely connected with Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.
The golden age of China during the Han Dynasty brought a revival of national literature, philosophy and art. The main inventions of the early Han Chinese, spread everywhere, are fireworks, rockets, gunpowder, crossbow, guns and matches. Paper, printing, paper money, porcelain, silk, varnish, compass and earthquake detectors were also developed by them. The Ming Dynasty, ruled by the Han, contributed to the construction of the Great Wall of China, which was launched by the first emperor Huang-di. The ruler’s terracotta army is one of the most famous cultural masterpieces of this nation.
The oldest people in Egypt
Egypt is located in North Africa. On this earth, one of the most ancient civilizations appeared. The origin of the name of the state is associated with the word Aegyptos, which was the Greek version of the ancient Egyptian name Hwt-Ka-Ptah ("The Mansion of the Spirit of Ptah"), the original name of the city of Memphis, the first capital of Egypt, a major religious and commercial center.
The ancient Egyptians themselves knew their country as Kemet, or Black Earth. This name appeared because of the fertile, dark soil on the coast of the Nile, where the first settlements were formed. Then the state became known as Misr, which means "country", the Egyptians use it at the present time.
The peak of the heyday of Egypt occurred in the middle of the dynastic period (from 3,000 to 1,000 BC). Its inhabitants have reached great heights in art, science, technology and religion.
Egyptian culture
Egyptian culture, glorifying the greatness of human experience, is one of the most popular. Their great tombs, temples and works of art extol life and constantly remind of the past.
For the Egyptians, existence on earth was only one aspect of an eternal journey. The soul was immortal and only temporarily dwelled in the body. After interrupting life on earth, you can go to court in the Hall of Truth and, possibly, to paradise, which was considered a mirror image of being on our planet.
The first evidence of mass grazing on land in Egypt dates back to the III millennium BC. e. This, like the discovered artifacts, indicates a civilization that flourished at that time in the region.
The development of agriculture began in the V millennium BC. e. Communities belonging to the Badarian culture arose along the banks of the river. The development of industry took place at about the same time, as evidenced by the trade in faience in Abydos. Badarian was followed by the Amratian, Herzerian, and Nakad cultures (also known as Nakada I, Nakada II, and Nakada III), and all of them significantly influenced the development of what later became Egyptian civilization. The written story begins between 3,400 and 3,200 BC. in the era of Nakada III culture. In 3,500 BC e. mummification of the dead began to be practiced.
Armenians
The territory of the Caucasus includes lands that are part of some modern states: Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey.
Armenians are considered one of the most ancient peoples of the Caucasus. For a long time, it was believed that the Armenian people came from the legendary king Hayk, who came from Mesopotamia in 2492 BC. e. to the territory of Van. It was he who determined the borders of the new state around Mount Ararat, he is considered the founder of the Armenian kingdom. According to scholars, on behalf of this ruler the very name of the Armenians “high” occurs. One of the researchers, Movses Khorenatsi, believed that the ruins of the state of Uratra are an early Armenian settlement. However, according to the current official version, the proto-Armenian tribes are flies and Urumans, who appeared in the second quarter of the XII century BC. e., before the state of Urartu was formed. Here there was a confusion with the Hurrians, Urartians, and Luvians. Most likely, Armenian statehood was formed during the Hurrian kingdom of Arme-Shubria, which arose in 1,200 BC. e.
History has many secrets and mysteries, and even the most modern research methods cannot find the exact answer to the question - which peoples of the living are the oldest?