List of oldest continuously inhabited cities

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This is a list of the oldest, still surviving, towns and cities in the world. There are some points of contention here and care should be taken when using the list below. The cities have been listed because either the archaeological record has shown, or documents have supported the claim, that the settlement was in existence at the time given. However, presence here should in no way indicate that there is total consensus over the date the city was founded - differences in opinion can result from different definitions of "city" (usually relating to the population size" as well as "continuously inhabited" (relating to changing population size; changes in location and changes in name). Additionally, where an approximate date has been given, the date was treated as the lower end of the estimate for the purposes of the table.

The definition of "continuously inhabited city" for the purposes of this list was that there must be evidence to show that the city had been constantly settled by a population of more than 250 for the entire time since the date shown. This is different from there simply being 'evidence of human occupation in the area' and that it may well be different from the numerous other definitions of the term 'city' that are in use. In spite of all this, several cities listed here (Varanasi, Damascus, Arbil, Byblos and Hebron) each claim to be 'the oldest city in the world'. An attempt has been made to discuss the validity of each of their claims alongside their stated position in the table.

Rank Name Location Approximate Time Founded Sources
1 Byblos Lebanon 5000 BC http://www.middleeast.com/byblos.htm
2 Damascus Syria More than 3,000 BC [1]
3 Varanasi (Kasi) (Benaras) India More than 3,000 BC Oldest City in the World - HighBeam Research
4 Medinat Al-Fayoum1 (as Crocodilopolis or Arsinoe) Egypt 4,000 BC Overy et al (1999:43); Aldred (1998:42,44)
5 Gaziantep2 Turkey 3,650 BC See notes
6 Hebron West Bank 3,500 BC
7 Athens Greece 3,000 BC [2]
8 Arbil Iraq Before 2,300 BC [3]
9 Kirkuk (As 'Arrapha') Iraq 2,200-3,000 BC either [4] or [5] for the earlier date
10 Adana Turkey c. 2,000 BC
11 Hama (as Hamath) Syria Before 2,000 BC
12 Jerusalem Israel / West Bank 2,000 BC
13 Luxor (as Thebes/Weset) Egypt c. 2,000 BC
14 Jaffa Israel 1,800 BC
15 Aleppo Syria 1,800 BC
16 Kutaisi Georgia 1,700 BC either [6] or [7]
17 Asyut Egypt Before 1,500 BC
18 Gaza Gaza Strip Before 1,500 BC
19 Jericho (Present Site) West Bank 1,400 BC [8]
20 Lisbon Portugal 1,200 BC [9]
21 Hamedan Iran 1,100 BC

[edit] Notes

  • Note 1: See reference for presence of urban life among cattle herders at this date - also due to land fertility and constant water source, the same reference argues it unlikely that the site has been deserted since. Documentary evidence supporting continuous existence since c.2,000 BC.
  • Note 2: This is disputed, although most modern scholars place the Classical Antiochia ad Taurum at Gaziantep, some maintain that it was in fact located at Aleppo. Furthermore, that the two cities occupy the same site is far from established fact (see http://www.allaboutturkey.com/gaziantep.htm]). Assuming this to be the case, the date of founding the present site would be [10] in the region of 1,000 BC.
  • Note 3: Concerning Damascus, Excavations at Tell Ramad on the outskirts of the city have demonstrated that Damascus has been inhabited as early as 8000 to 10,000 BC. It is due to this that Damascus is considered to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. However, Damascus is not documented as an important city until the coming of the Aramaeans which is the date mentioned in the table above.

[edit] Sources

  • Aldred, Cyril (1998). The Egyptians. Thames and Hudson: London.
  • Overy et al (1999). The Times History of The World: New Edition. Times Books/Harper-Collins: London.
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