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List of oldest continuously inhabited cities

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This is a list of present-day cities by the time period over which they have been continuously inhabited.

The age claims listed may be disputed, or indeed obsolete. Differences in opinion can result from different definitions of "city" as well as "continuously inhabited".

Several cities listed here (Damascus, Byblos, Jericho) each popularly claim to be "the oldest city in the world". Caveats to the validity of each claim are discussed in the "Notes" column.

Old World

Continuous habitation since the Chalcolithic (or Copper Age) is possible (but difficult to prove archaeologically) for several Levantine cities (Jericho, Byblos, Damascus, Sidon and Beirut). Cities become more common outside the Fertile Crescent with the Early Iron Age from about 1100 BC. The foundation of Rome in 753 BC is conventially taken as (one of the dates) initiating Classical Antiquity.

Name Historical region Location Continuously inhabited since Notes
Jericho Levant West Bank Chalcolithic (3000 BC or earlier) Traces of habitation from 9000 BC.[1][2]

Fortifications date to 6800 BC (or earlier), making Jericho the earliest known walled city.[3] Evidence indicates that the city was abandoned several times, and later expanded and rebuilt several times.[4]

Byblos Levant Lebanon Chalcolithic (ca. 5000 BC)[5] Settled from the Neolithic (carbon-dating tests have set the age of earliest settlement around 7000[6]), a "town" since the 3rd millennium BC. Byblos had a reputation as the "oldest city in the world" in Antiquity (according to Philo of Byblos).
Damascus Levant Syria Chalcolithic(ca. 4300 BC)[7]-3000 BC[8] Excavations at Tel Ramad on the outskirts of the city have demonstrated that Damascus was inhabited as early as 8000 to 10,000 BC.[9] However, Damascus is not documented as an important city until the coming of the Aramaeans around 1400 BC. See reference for presence of urban life among cattle herders at this date — also due to land fertility and constant water source.
Susa Elam Khuzestan, Iran Chalcolithic (ca. 4200 BC)[dubious – discuss][10] Evidence of occupation from about 5500 BC
Sidon Levant Lebanon ? There is evidence that Sidon was inhabited from as long ago as 4000 B.C., and perhaps, as early as Neolithic times (6000 - 4000 B.C.)[11] Continuous habitation at least since Phoenician times (1000 BC).
Medinat Al-Fayoum (as Crocodilopolis or Arsinoe) Lower Egypt Faiyum Governorate, Egypt ca. 4000 BC[12]
Gaziantep Anatolia Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey ca. 3650 BC[dubious – discuss] 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 Gaziantep). Assuming this to be the case, the date of founding the present site would be in the region of 1,000 BC. (see Gaziantep)
Beirut Levant Lebanon habitation from ca. 3000 BC.[13] Continuous habitation at least since Phoenician times (1000 BC).
Jerusalem Levant Israel and disputed (see positions on Jerusalem) 2800 BC[14]
Tyre Levant Lebanon 2750 BC[15]
Arbil Mesopotamia Kurdistan Autonomous Region, Iraq 2300 BC or earlier[16]
Kirkuk (as 'Arrapha') Mesopotamia Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq 3000-2200 BC[17]
Aleppo Levant Syria ca. 2000 BC[18] Evidence of occupation since about 5000 BC.[19]
Mantua Po Valley Lombardy, Italy ca. 2000 BC Village settlement since ca. 2000 BC; became an Etruscan city in the 6th century BC.
Balkh (as Bactra) Bactria Balkh Province, Afghanistan ca. 1,500 BC Balkh is one of the oldest settlements of the region.[20]
Larnaca Alashiya Cyprus ca. 1400 BC Mycenaean, then Phoenician colony
Thebes Mycenaean Greece Boeotia, Greece ca. 1400 BC Mycenaean foundation
Athens Mycenaean Greece Attica, Greece 1400 BC Mycenaean foundation, with traces of earlier habitation on the Acropolis.
Cadiz Iron Age Iberia Andalusia, Spain 1100 BC[21]
Varanasi Iron Age India Uttar Pradesh, India ca. 1200-1000 BC[22] Iron Age foundation (Painted Grey Ware culture).
Xi'an Bronze Age China Shaanxi, PRC ca. 1100 BC
Ecbatana(Now Hamadan) Median Empire Iran ca 800 BC [23]]]
Rome Latium Lazio, Italy 753 BC see also History of Rome
Delhi Kuru India ca. 500 BC[24] A city since the "early centuries BC", continuous habitation likely from the 6th century BC, traces of habitation from the 11th century BC. See also History of Delhi.
Beijing (as Ji, Yanjing) Yan PRC ca. 500 BC[citation needed]
Guangzhou (Canton) Han Dynasty Guangdong, PRC 214 BC[citation needed]
Paris Gaul France ca. 250 BC Chasséen culture (4th millennium BC) settlement traces.
Zürich (Lindenhof) Gaul Switzerland ca. 50 BC lakeside settlement traces dating to the Neolithic.
Trier Gallia Belgica Germany 30 BC oldest city in Germany.
Verdun Lotharingia France 4th century seat of the bishop of Verdun from the 4th century, but populated earlier
Chur Raetia Prima Grisons, Switzerland 15 BC habitation since the 4th millennium BC (Pfyn culture).
Krakow (Wawel Hill) Galicia Poland 7th c.[25] The first written record dates back to the 10th century.
Århus Denmark ca. 700 oldest city in Scandinavia.
Djenné Mali ca. 800 oldest known city in sub-Saharan Africa[26]
Ife Osun State, Nigeria ca. 8th century[citation needed][dubious – discuss] earliest traces of habitation date to the 4th century BC.[citation needed]
Lund Sweden ca. 990[citation needed]
Tórshavn Scandinavia Faeroes 10th century the oldest northern capital

New World

Further information: List of American cities by year of foundation
Name Country Foundation Notes
Ticul Mexico 7th century BC Oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas.
Acoma Pueblo and Taos Pueblo, New Mexico USA 1075 (ca.) Among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements of the US (although not "cities")
Oraibi, Arizona USA 1100 (ca.) Among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements of the US (although not a "city")
Santo Domingo Dominican Republic 1496 Oldest European settlement in the New World
Nombre de Dios, Colón Panama 1510 Oldest European settlement on the American mainland
Baracoa Cuba 1511 Oldest European settlement in Cuba
São Vicente, São Paulo Brazil 1532 First Portuguese settlement in South America
St. Augustine, Florida USA 1556 Oldest continuously inhabited city in the US.
St. John's Canada 1583 Oldest city in Canada
Quebec City Canada 1608 Second oldest city in Canada
Trois-Rivières Canada 1634 Third oldest city in Canada
Montreal Canada 1642 Fourth oldest city in Canada
Sydney Australia 1788 Oldest city in Australia.
Hobart Australia 1803 Second oldest city in Australia.

References

  1. ^ Gates, Charles (2003). "Near Eastern, Egyptian, and Aegean Cities". Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome. Routledge. p. 18. ISBN 0415018951. Jericho, in the Jordan River Valley in Israel, inahbited from ca. 9000 BC to the present day, offers important evidence for the earliest permanent settlements in the Near East.
  2. ^ Martell, Hazel Mary (2001). "The Fertile Crescent". The Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World: From the Ice Age to the Fall of Rome. Kingfisher Publications. p. 18. ISBN 0753453975. People first settled there from around 9000 B.C., and by 8000 B.C., the community was organized enough to build a stone wall to defend the city.
  3. ^ Michal Strutin, Discovering Natural Israel (2001), p. 4.
  4. ^ Ryan, Donald P. (1999). "Digging up the Bible". The Complete Idiot's Guide to Lost Civilizations. Alpha Books. p. 137. ISBN 002862954X. The city was walled during much of its history and the evidence indicates that it was abandoned several times, and later expanded and rebuilt several times.
  5. ^ Byblos.
  6. ^ Ciasca, Antonia (2001). "Phoenicia". In Sabatino Moscati (ed.). The Phoenicians. I.B.Tauris. p. 170. ISBN 1850435332.
  7. ^ Damascus
  8. ^ India Tribune
  9. ^ accessdate=30 January 2008
  10. ^ Met Museum: Iran, 8000–2000 b.c.
  11. ^ Sidon
  12. ^ Overy et al (1999:43); Aldred (1998:42,44)
  13. ^ Under Beirut's Rubble, Remnants of 5,000 Years of Civilization
  14. ^ Freedman, David Noel (2000-01-01). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 694–695. ISBN 0802824005. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Tyre City, Lebanon
  16. ^ Lexic Orient
  17. ^ either The destruction of the Kirkuk Castle by the Iraqi regime. or History Channel for the earlier date
  18. ^ New World Encyclopedia
  19. ^ Syria Where Stones Speak The Door Is Widening To Westerners, Who Are Discovering The Nation'S Wealth Of History And Culture
  20. ^ Nancy Hatch Dupree, An Historical Guide to Afghanistan, 1977, Kabul, Afghanistan LINK[dead link‍][unreliable source?]
  21. ^ founded as Phoenician Gadir[1]
  22. ^ [ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/623248/Varanasi Britannica]: "by the 2nd millennium BC"
  23. ^ International dictionary of historic places By Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, K. A. Berney, Paul E. Schellinger
  24. ^ City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective, by James D. Tracy, University of Minnesota Center for Early Modern History Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 9780521652216
  25. ^ wawel.krakow.pl
  26. ^ "Heaven on Earth: Islam", November 23, 2004 video documentary, History Channel. Producer/director, Stephen Rooke. Scriptwriter/host: Christy Kenneally
  • 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.

See also

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