List of the oldest buildings in the world

This article attempts to list the oldest extant freestanding buildings constructed in the world, including on each of the continents and within each country.

Building Image Country Continent First Built Use Notes
Megalithic Temples of Malta Malta Europe 3500–2500 BC Religious Temples Described by Colin Renfrew as "the oldest free-standing monuments in the world".[1]
Knap of Howar Scotland Europe 3500–3100 BC House Oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe[2]
Newgrange Ireland Europe circa 3100 and 2900 BC Burial One of the oldest passage tombs in the world.[3]
Hulbjerg Jættestue Denmark Europe 3000 BC Passage grave The Hulbjerg passage grave is concealed by a round barrow on the southern tip of the island of Langeland. The walls of the 6.5m by 1.7m chamber consisting of 13 large uprights, tightly compacted with a fine wall of hewn stone tiles. When the Hulbjerg passage grave was excavated, archaeologists found the remains of 40 individuals who had been buried at different periods of the Neolithic Age. One of the skulls showed traces of the world's earliest dentistry work.[4][5]
Monte d'Accoddi Italy Europe 2700-2000 BC "a trapezoidal platform on an artificial mound, reached by a sloped causeway. At one time a

rectangular structure sat atop the platform... the platform dates from the Copper Age (ca. 2700-2000 B.C.), with some minor subsequent activity in the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2000-16OO B.C.). Near the mound are several standing stones, and a large limestone slab, now at the foot of the mound, may have served as an altar."[6]
Pyramid of Djoser Egypt Africa 2667–2648 BC Burial Earliest large-scale cut stone construction[7]
Caral Peru South America 2600 BC Pyramid Oldest building in South America[8]
Great Pyramid of Giza Egypt Africa 2650 BC Great Tomb (Mausoleum) Tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu
Treasury of Atreus Greece Europe 1250 BC Tomb It is formed of a semi-subterranean room of circular plan, with a corbel arch covering that is ogival in section. With an interior height of 13.5m and a diameter of 14.5m. it was the tallest and widest dome in the world for over a thousand years until construction of the Temple of Hermes in Baiae and the Pantheon in Rome.

[9]
Naveta des Tudons Spain Europe 1200 BC tomb The des Tudons is the most famous megalithic chamber tomb in Minorca. It was used between 1200 and 750 BC. It is a collective tomb which contained, when it was discovered in 1975, at least 100 men and different objects like bronze bracelets or bone and ceramic buttons.[10]
The King's Grave Sweden Europe 1000 BC tomb The King's Grave near Kivik (Kungagraven i Kivik, Kiviksgraven) in the southeastern portion of the Swedish province of Skåne is what remains of an unusually grand Nordic Bronze Age double burial c. 1000 BC.[11]
Parthenon Greece Europe 432-447 BC Greek temple; Dedicated to the goddess Athena In the Acropolis of Athens
Sanchi Stupa India Asia 300 BC Buddhist temple In the village of Sanchi
Broch of Mousa Scotland Europe 100 BC Broch It is the finest preserved example of a broch or round tower in Shetland, Scotland. It is the tallest broch still standing in the world[12] and amongst the best-preserved prehistoric buildings in Europe.[13]It is thought to have been constructed circa 100 BC, one of 570 brochs built throughout Scotland.[14]
Maison Carrée France Europe 16 BC Temple The Maison Carrée is the only completely

preserved temple of the ancient world [15]
Colosseum Italy Europe 70-80 AD Big amphitheatre and gladiator battle arena Was damaged in an earthquake
Pantheon, Rome Italy Europe 125 AD Religious Oldest standing building still in regular use.[16]
Porta Nigra Germany Europe 180 AD Roman city gate It is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps.[17]
Aula Palatina Germany Europe 306 AD palace basilica It contains the largest extant hall from antiquity, The room has a length of 67m, a width of 26.05m and a height of 33m.[18]
Ancestral Puebloan communities United States North America 750 AD - Pueblo construction begins in AD 750 and continues to present Villages Oldest standing buildings in U.S.A. Majority of settlements abandoned, but some very well preserved. Buildings have been within the U.S. since 1848, when New Mexico was annexed.
Church of Our Lady (Aarhus) Denmark Europe 1060 AD Church Built in 1060, the Crypt is the oldest ecclesiastical building in Aarhus, as well as being the oldest arched space in Scandinavia and is still functioning as a church.[19]
Tower of London England Europe 1078 AD Prison The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison since at least 1100, although that was not its primary purpose.

See also

References

  1. ^ Megalithic Temples of Malta - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  2. ^ Broch of Burrian Archaeology (The Papar Project)
  3. ^ O’Kelly, Michael J. 1982. Newgrange: Archaeology, Art and Legend. London: Thames and Hudson. Page 13.
  4. ^ http://www.natmus.dk/sw45608.asp
  5. ^ http://www.kulturarv.dk/1001fortaellinger/en_GB/hulbjerg-passage-grave
  6. ^ Blake, Emma; Arthur Bernard Knapp (2004). The archaeology of Mediterranean prehistory. Wiley Blackwell. p. 117. ISBN 978-0631232681. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=F15vfrJq8LUC&pg=PA117&dq=Monte+d%27Accoddi&hl=en&ei=dsldTq7CL8Kr8APS0ezNAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=Monte%20d%27Accoddi&f=false. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
  7. ^ Shaw, Ian, ed (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. p. 480. ISBN 0-19-815034-2.
  8. ^ http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/AAft-Oeoc-2604101.php
  9. ^ Structurae.de: Treasury of Atreus
  10. ^ MenorcaWeb.com
  11. ^ Bredarör i Kivik (Joakim Goldhahn, Department of Archaeology, University of Gothenburg)
  12. ^ Fojut, Noel (1981)"Is Mousa a broch?" Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. 111 pp. 220-228.
  13. ^ Armit (2003) p. 15.
  14. ^ A History of Britain, Richard Dargie (2007), p. 16-17
  15. ^ http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/provence-tourism/nimes/maison-carree-nimes.htm
  16. ^ Pantheon", Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, revised December 2008
  17. ^ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/367/
  18. ^ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/367/
  19. ^ http://www.visitaarhus.com/international/en-gb/menu/turist/om-aarhus/sevaerdigheder/soeg-sevaerdigheder/produktside/gdk002069/the-church-of-our-lady.htm?CallerUrl=1

External links