There are dozens of cities across the planet that have been lived in by humans for thousands upon thousands of years. On the other hand, when it comes to pinpointing the oldest constantly inhabited city, there is no simple answer.
The conundrum is a bit like the Ship of Theseus believed experiment: if a city is knocked down, restored, moved slightly, constructed on top rated of, knocked down once more, and reconstructed, is it the identical city or a new entity?
With out receiving also bogged down in philosophical roundabouts, there are a quantity of areas that could possibly take the crown of the world’s longest-standing city – virtually all of which lay in the Middle East.
The city of Jericho, recognized for an infamous war in the Old Testament that possibly didn’t take place, is normally credited with getting the earliest city that is nonetheless standing. Archaeological proof has recommended the location has been the internet site of various successive settlements more than the previous millennia. Components of the city and its renowned walls are believed to have been very first constructed about 9,000 BCE.
On the other hand, these structures really should not be confused with modern day-day Jericho, the Palestinian city in the West Bank. The ancient portion of Jericho is in fact recognized as Inform es-Sultan, about two kilometers (1.two miles) north of the present-day city center. There is some debate about no matter whether it can be thought of constantly inhabited, but if you happen to be asked what the oldest city is through a quiz, then it is most likely they will be expecting the answer “Jericho.”
Panoramic view of Aleppo just before the Syrian Civil War.
Image credit: Benedikt Saxler/Shutterstock.com
Syria also includes some sturdy contenders for the crown. Damascus was previously thought of an undisputed champion for oldest city, with archaeological remains indicating that humans had been there as early as 9,000 BCE. Regrettably, one particular existing view is that persons didn’t continually settle in present-day Damascus till about six,000 years later.
Aleppo could, in reality, be a protected selection. This city has develop into synonymous with the ongoing Syrian Civil War, but this is just a tragic blip in the extended life of this settlement. Archaeological remains recommend Aleppo could have been inhabited because the sixth millennium BCE. It definitely started to flourish through the Golden Age of the Silk Road from the 12th to early 15th century CE.
Final but not least, the city of Faiyum in Egypt deserves a mention. It was initially founded by the ancient Egyptians as Shedet. Due to the settlement’s obsession with the crocodile god Sobek, the Greeks named it “Crocodilopolis.” Situated some 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of the modern day capital Cairo, pottery and structures close to the city recommend humans had been right here because roughly five,500 BCE, producing it the oldest city in Egypt and one particular of the oldest settlements in Africa.