Despite the ongoing disputes about the moment of occurrence of each ancient settlement, there is a more or less harmonized list, which includes the oldest cities in the world in which life continued uninterruptedly, and now they are inhabited.
One of the oldest
This list is headed by Jericho, not only mentioned in the Bible under the name "city of palm trees", although the Hebrew name translates as "the lunar city". Historians refer to the date of its emergence as a settlement by the 7th millennium BC, although some of the traces of inhabitation found belong to IX. That is, people lived here in the time of the chalcolithic or the ceramic Neolithic. It so happened that the location of Jericho from time immemorial is on the warpath, again in the Bible there is a description of taking the city. He endlessly passed from hand to hand, the last time happened in 1993, when Jericho went to Palestine. Repeatedly for thousands of years, the inhabitants left it, but always came back and rebuilt anew. Now Jericho, which is 10 km from the Dead Sea, is happy to visit by tourists, as it is rich in sights (for example, there was a courtyard of King Herod). In addition, this most ancient city on earth is also unique in that it is, if one may say so, the deepest locality, as it is 240 meters below sea level.
Who is older
The second (sometimes disputes the primacy) on the list of "The oldest cities in the world" is Damascus, the capital of modern Syria. Its origin also refers to prehistoric times, but it becomes a major city after the Aramaic invasion, dating from 1400 BC. One of the most charming cities in the Middle East, it is full of attractions. What is worth only the Umayyad Mosque, which is included in the list of the world's greatest temples, in which the head of John the Baptist is kept . The city is so ancient that it is believed that the first wall built on the ground after the Flood was the Damascus Wall. The old city, which does not change its appearance for many centuries, is also surrounded by a wall, but it was erected at the time of Ancient Rome.
Also the oldest
Concludes the first three of the settlements of the list of "Ancient World cities" Lebanese Biblical. Needless to say, in some lists it is given the second, and even the first by seniority. These three cities arose long before the Copper Age, but since it was continuously inhabited. Bibl is located in the suburbs of Beirut. The very name of the city says that once it was a biblical city and was called Hebal. Phoenician settlement, in ancient times it was the center of papyrus trade, and now it is a famous tourist site. It is interesting that a small number of inscriptions found on ancient artifacts have not yet been deciphered, because this type of proto-Biblical letter does not have any gaps. Signs about 100, and inscriptions are few. The date of the next city of Susa is disputed, as well as the largest city of modern Syria, Aleppo - someone believes that in the 7th millennium BC these cities already existed, some did not.
The closing list of the "oldest"
The birth of subsequent cities dates back to the 4th millennium BC. Not all of the most frequently cited lists under the name "The Oldest Cities of the World" mention Crimean Theodosia, although in Russia it was she who was considered the "eternal city", since it was founded, according to some sources, in the 6th century BC and was known as Ardabra . As early as the ten most ancient settlements are such settlements as the Lebanese Sidon (4 thousand BC). The same time, the appearance of the Egyptian Fayoum (Greek Crocodile Field) and the Bulgarian Plovdiv is dated. Turkish Gaziantep and the Lebanese capital Beirut are several centuries younger. Further on the list most often mentioned are the following cities: Jerusalem, Tire, Erbil, Kirkuk, Jaffa. All of them have arisen for many centuries before our chronology and belong to the "oldest".
The most ancient in Russia
The most common lists under the title "Ancient cities of the world" do not include Derbent, nor Zurich, nor Ningbo, although they have at least a 6000-year history of existence behind them. Thus, Derbent (from Arabic Bab-al-Abwab - its name - translates as "gate of the gate" or "big gate"), according to some sources, was already a settlement in the 4th millennium BC. This southernmost city of the Russian Federation existed already in the Bronze Age. In the translation from the Azerbaijani language its name sounds like "closed gates". It is located in the isthmus between the Caucasian ridge and the western shore of the Caspian Sea. This ancient settlement was always the gateway to the caravans that followed from Europe to Asia.
Also "the oldest"
In most people, the concept of ancient Europe is associated primarily with Greece. However, the Swiss Zurich is much older. The first settlements on its territory arose in 4430-4230 BC, that is, in the 5th millennium. Closer to our era, it was conquered by the Celts, then the settlement became part of the Roman Empire, and at these times it was already mentioned under the name Turicum. The Chinese city of Ningbo, which is directly related to the culture of Hemudu, which existed in the 5th millennium BC, is said to have already been inhabited during the Neolithic period. Archeology does not stand still, and new names will be included in the list of the oldest cities on the planet.
Closer to our chronology
The list of "Ancient cities of the world" is much wider than the "Oldest", because 2 millennium BC belong to many civilizations. The location of the settlements that emerged in these centuries is beyond the Middle East. In Europe it is primarily the cities of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. This territory is headed by the list of "Constantly populated cities of the ancient world" Athens. Notes on this city-state also begin with the words that these places were inhabited already in the Neolithic period. But Athens is described in detail, beginning with the late Hellenic period, that is, from 1700-1200 BC. The golden age for this powerful policy began in the middle of the 1st millennium, during the reign of Pericles. Legendary monuments, known all over the world, were built during this period, which is fairly well studied and described by ancient Greek classics. Such historical evidence as the works of Vakhelid, Hypered, Menander and Herod written on papyrus have survived to this day. The works of later, world-famous Greek authors formed the basis of the popular "Myths and Legends" by N. Kuhn. Ancient Greek philosophy, science, culture are the foundation of modern knowledge.
Extensive list
The names of the ancient cities of the world are a very extensive list, occupying more than one page, because the Antiquity period ends in our calendar, has a specific date - 476 AD, signifying the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This period is well studied, and the existence of many cities is documented. Therefore, from all the huge list, you can name several settlements, known literally to everyone. Enter it and the city, disappeared from the face of the earth, but left in the historical testimonies or the memory of the descendants. These include such great cities of the Ancient World as Babylon and Palmyra, Pompeii and Thebes, Chichen Itza and Ur, Pergamum and Cusco, the Ancient Greek Knossos and Mycenae, many cities of Asia and other continents. Mysteries of the ruins of these cities have yet to be solved. For example, the mysterious Angkor, lost in the jungle, is the stone heart of Cambodia, rediscovered for the world in the middle of the 19th century, although its history dates back to the second century of our era. Or located at the top of the mountain, at an altitude of 2,450 meters above sea level, is no less mysterious Machu Picchu. This ancient "city in heaven" is in the territory of Peru.
Zest of the city
The ancient city of Demre, in comparison with the above-mentioned settlements, is just young. The first mention of it refers to the V century (not millennium) BC. But this is a legendary city. Known in ancient times under the name of the World, it is famous not only for its unusual architectural monuments, but primarily for the fact that Saint Nicholas, Nikolai the Sage, the Miracle-Worker, St. Nicholas and Santa Claus, lived and became famous. The most wonderful tradition to give New Year gifts came from this city. The initiator was Saint Nicholas, the first bishop of Myra. The ancient city of Demre is a very popular tourist destination.
The route "Demre-Mira-Kekova" is very in demand. The city has preserved a beautiful Roman theater, the size of which allows you to judge the importance of this major seaside center in antiquity. Kekova is an island. It is remarkable that its shores are a continuation of the walls of the city sunk as a result of the earthquake. Very good is the modern city of Demre, which is the center of the province of the same name.
Very concise list
Mysterious and beautiful are the ancient cities of the world. The list of the most famous is Bibl, Jericho and Aleppo, followed by Susa, Damascus, El Fayoum and Plovdiv. It would be fair to mention Derbent and Zurich, the "eternal city" of Rome, as well as several settlements of ancient China (Ningbo, Changsha, Changzhou and others). Disappeared Babylon, Palmyra, Pompeii, Ur and Mycenae complement this more than a modest list of cities of antiquity. Unique attractions can boast of the ancient Persian Persipole. At one time he was the capital of the Achaemenid empire, which founded in the VI-V centuries BC a huge state, conquered later by Alexander the Great. All ancient cities are surrounded by legends, it is very interesting to get acquainted with.