The largest ancient The oldest city in the world

For reference: in Europe, the oldest cities include Lisbon (about 1000 BC), Rome (753 BC), Kerkyra (about 700 BC), Mantua ( around 500 BC). For comparison: London was founded in 43 AD, Moscow no later than 1147, Kyiv around 880, my Vasilkov 988.

The 20 oldest cities in the world still inhabited

Situated on the west bank of the Ganges River, Varanasi - also known as Benares - is an important holy city for Hindus and Buddhists. According to legend, it was founded by the Hindu god Shiva 5,000 years ago, although modern scientists believe that the age of the city is about 3,000 years.

Built on a narrow strip of land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, Cadiz has been the port of the Spanish navy since the 18th century. Founded by the Phoenicians as a small trading post and captured by the Carthaginians around 500 BC, becoming Hannibal's bridgehead for the conquest of Iberia. Then it was in Roman and Moorish possession. It is currently undergoing a renaissance.

Approximately in 1400 BC. founded three modern cities

As the main competitor of ancient Athens, Thebes was ruled by the Boeotian confederation and even provided assistance to Xerxes during the Persian invasion in 480 BC. Today Thebes is little more than a city market.

Founded as [Kitiyak] by the Phoenicians, Larnaca is known for its many coastal palm trees. Archaeological sites and numerous beaches attract modern visitors.

The cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy. Athens is filled with Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman monuments and remains an extremely popular tourist city.

Known to the ancient Greeks as Baktra, present-day Balkh is located in northern Afghanistan and is often referred to as the [mother of Arab cities]. The peak of development falls on the years between 2500 BC. and 1900 BC before the rise of the Persian Empire and Median. Modern Balkh is the center of the region's cotton industry.

Located about 150 miles north of Baghdad, Kirkuk stands on the site of the ancient Assyrian capital of Arrapha. Its strategic importance was recognized by the Babylonians and Media, who tried to control the city. The ruins of the 5,000-year-old citadel are still visible, and the city is now the headquarters of the Iraqi oil industry.

To the north of Kirkuk lies Erbil, which was a possession at different times: Assyrians, Persians, Sassanids, Arabs and Turks. It was the main [stop] on the Silk Road. The ancient 26-meter citadel still dominates the skyline.

The legendary birthplace of Europa and Dido, Tire was founded around 2750 BC, according to Herodotus' description. It was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. after seven months of siege and became a Roman province in 64 BC. Today, tourism is the city's main industry: World Heritage Site (UNESCO) Roman Hippodrome.

Jerusalem is the spiritual center of the Jewish people and the third holy city of Islam. The city is home to several important religious sites, including the Mosque of Omar, the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and al-Aqsa. During its history, the city was besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, captured 44 times and destroyed twice.

The capital of Lebanon, as well as its cultural, administrative and economic center, Beirut is rooted in history for 5,000 years. During excavations in the city, monuments of the Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Arab and Ottoman eras were found, there is evidence that the city was mentioned in the letters of the pharaoh of Egypt as early as the 14th century BC. After graduation civil war in Lebanon, Beirut has come to life, has become a modern tourist attraction.

Built in the southern part of Turkey, near the border with Syria, Gaziantep dates back to the time of the Hittites. The fortress of Ravanda restored by the Byzantines in the 6th century is located in the center of the city, ancient Roman mosaics were discovered in it.

Also three cities were founded around 4000 BC

The second largest city in Bulgaria, Plovdiv was originally a Thracian settlement before becoming the main city of the Roman Empire. It was later taken over by the Byzantine and Ottoman empires before becoming part of Bulgaria. The city is a major cultural center and is famous for its many ancient monuments, including the Roman amphitheater and aqueduct, as well as the Ottoman bath.

About 25 miles south of Beirut is Sidon, one of the most important and perhaps the oldest Phoenician cities. He was the basis from which the Mediterranean empire of the Phoenicians grew. Both Jesus and Saint Paul are said to have visited Saida, as did Alexander the Great, who captured the city in 333 BC.

Fayyum (El Fayyum) is located southwest of Cairo, and most of it is occupied by Crocodilopolis, an ancient Egyptian city that worshiped Petsuchos, the sacred crocodile. The modern city has several large bazaars, mosques and baths, nearby are the pyramids of Lekhin and Khawara.

Susa was the capital of the Elamite Empire until it was taken over by the Assyrians. It was precisely the subjugation of the Achaemenid Persians by Cyrus the Great that Aeschylus and other ancient theatrical plays write about in his tragedies. The modern city of Shush has about 65 thousand inhabitants.

3rd and 4th placesdivided between two ancient cities around 4300 BC.

There is information from some sources that Damascus is the most ancient city on Earth, founded more than 12 thousand years ago. It became a large and important settlement after the advent of the Arameans, who created a network of water channels. Damascus at various times was under the rule of Alexander the Great, Rome, Arabs and Ottomans. Today, its rich historical heritage has made the city one of the most popular destinations for tourists.

The most populous city in Syria with about 4.4 million inhabitants, Aleppo was founded as Halab around 4300 BC. The city was under the control of the Hittites, then as part of the Assyrian, Greek and Persian empires. Later it was captured by the Romans, Byzantine Arabs, besieged by the crusaders, and then fell under the rule of the Mongols and Turks.

Founded by the Phoenicians as Gebal. Byblos got its name from the Greeks, who imported papyrus from the city. By the way, the modern word [Biblyak] comes from the name of the city. The main tourist sites are the ancient Phoenician temples, the castle of St. John the Baptist and the medieval city wall.

The oldest city currently inhabited. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a settlement dating back to 11,000 BC. The city is located on the West Bank of the Jordan River, and today about 20 thousand people live in it.

That's all! Basta, karapuziki, dancing is over :)

Despite the ongoing debate about the moment of the emergence of each ancient settlement, there is a more or less agreed upon list that includes the oldest cities in the world in which life continued uninterruptedly and are now inhabited.

One of the oldest

This list is headed by Jericho, which is mentioned more than once in the Bible under the name "city of palm trees", although the name is translated from Hebrew as "lunar city". Historians attribute the date of its emergence as a settlement to the 7th millennium BC, although some of the found traces of habitation date back to the 9th. That is, people lived here during the Chalcolithic or before the Ceramic Neolithic. It so happened that the location of Jericho has been on the warpath since time immemorial, again in the Bible there is a description of the capture of the city. He endlessly passed from hand to hand, the last time happened in 1993, when Jericho went to Palestine. Repeatedly over the millennia, the inhabitants left it, but always returned and rebuilt. Now located 10 km from the Dead Sea, Jericho is readily visited by tourists, as it is rich in sights (for example, there was a farmstead of King Herod). In addition, this same ancient city on earth is also unique in that it is, so to speak, the deepest settlement, as it is located 240 meters below sea level.

Which one is older

The second (sometimes contesting the championship) on the list of "The oldest cities in the world" is modern Syria. Its origin also dates back to prehistoric times, but it becomes a major city after the Aramaic invasion, dating back to 1400 BC. One of the most charming cities in the Middle East, it is full of attractions. What is only included in the list the greatest temples the world in which the head is kept The city is so ancient that it is believed that the first wall built on earth after the Flood was the Damascus wall. The old city, which has not changed its appearance for many centuries, is also surrounded by a wall, but it was erected at the time of Ancient Rome.

Also the most ancient

Concludes the first three settlements of the list "Ancient cities of the world" Lebanese Bybl. Needless to say, in some lists he is given the second, and even the first in seniority. These three cities arose long before the Copper Age, but since then they have been continuously inhabited. Byblos is located in the suburbs of Beirut. The very name of the city suggests that it was once a biblical city and was called Gebal. A Phoenician settlement, in ancient times it was the center of the papyrus trade, and now it is a well-known tourist attraction. It is interesting in that a small number of inscriptions found on ancient artifacts have not yet been deciphered, because this type of proto-biblical writing has no spaces. There are about 100 signs, but there are few inscriptions. The date of the emergence of the next city of Susa is disputed, as well as the largest city of modern Syria, Aleppo - someone believes that these cities already existed in the 7th millennium BC, someone did not.

Closing the list of "ancient"

The birth of subsequent cities date back to the 4th millennium BC. Not all of the most frequently cited lists under the name "Ancient cities of the world" mention the Crimean Feodosia, although in Russia it was considered the "eternal city", since it was founded, according to some sources, in the 6th century BC and was known as Ardabra .

Another ten of the most ancient includes such settlements as the Lebanese Sidon (4 thousand BC). The emergence of the Egyptian Faiyum (Greek Crocodilefield) and the Bulgarian Plovdiv dates back to the same time. Turkish Gaziantep and Lebanese capital Beirut are several centuries younger. Further on the list, the following cities are most often mentioned: Jerusalem, Tire, Erbil, Kirkuk, Jaffa. All of them arose many centuries before our chronology and belong to the "most ancient".

The oldest in Russia

The most common lists under the title "Ancient cities of the world" do not include Derbent, Zurich, or Ningbo, although they have at least 6,000 years of existence behind them. So, Derbent (from the Arabic Bab-al-Abwab - its name - is translated as "gate of the gate" or "big gate"), according to some sources, was already a settlement in the 4th millennium BC. This southern city Russian Federation already existed in Azerbaijan. Translated from the Azerbaijani language, its name sounds like “closed gates”. It is located in the isthmus between the Caucasus Range and the western shore of the Caspian Sea. This ancient settlement has always been a gateway for caravans traveling from Europe to Asia.

Also "oldest"

For most people, the concept of ancient Europe is associated primarily with Greece. However, 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 chronology, it was conquered by the Celts, then the settlement became part of the Roman Empire, and at that time it was already mentioned under the name Turicum. The Chinese city of Ningbo, which is directly related to the Hemudu culture that existed in the 5th millennium BC, according to some statements, was already inhabited in the Neolithic era. Archeology does not stand still, and the list of the most ancient cities on the planet will include new names.

Closer to our reckoning

The list of "Ancient cities of the world" is much wider than the "Ancient", because many civilizations belong to the 2nd millennium BC. The location of the settlements that arose in these centuries goes beyond the Middle East. In Europe, these are primarily cities. In this territory, Athens tops the list of “Permanently inhabited cities of the ancient world”. Notes about this city-state also begin with the words that these places were inhabited in the Neolithic era. But Athens is described in detail, starting from the late Helladic 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. The legendary monuments, known to the whole world, were built during this period, which is quite well studied and described by the ancient Greek classics. Such historical evidence as the works of Bacchelides, Hyperides, Menander and Herodes written on papyri 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, taking up more than one page, because the period of Antiquity ends in our chronology, has a specific date - 476 AD, indicating the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This period is well studied, and the existence of many cities is documented.

Therefore, from the whole huge list, we can name several settlements known to literally everyone. It will also include cities that have disappeared from the face of the earth, but remained in historical evidence or in the memory of their descendants. These include such great cities ancient world, like Babylon and Palmyra, Pompeii and Thebes, Chichen Itza and Ur, Pergamon and Cusco, ancient Greek Knossos and Mycenae, many cities of Asia and other continents. The mysteries of the ruins of these cities are 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 goes back to the second century AD. Or located on the top of a mountain, located at an altitude of 2450 meters above sea level, no less mysterious Machu Picchu. This ancient "city in the sky" is located in Peru.

The highlight of the city

The ancient city of Demre, in comparison with the above settlements, is simply young. The first mention of it dates back to the 5th century (not the millennium) BC. But Known in ancient times under the name of Mira, it is famous not only for its unusual architectural monuments, but first of all for the fact that Saint Nicholas studied, lived and became famous here, he is also Nicholas the Pleasant, the Wonderworker, he is also Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus. The most wonderful tradition of giving New Year's gifts came from this city. The initiator was St. Nicholas, the first Bishop of Mira. The ancient city of Demre is a very popular tourist attraction.

The route "Demre-Mira-Kekova" is in great demand. The city has preserved a beautiful ancient Roman theater, the size of which allows one to judge the importance of this large seaside center in antiquity. Kekova is an island. It is notable for the fact that its shores are a continuation of the walls of the city sunk as a result of the earthquake. The modern city of Demre, which is the center of the province of the same name in Turkey, is very good.

Very short list

Ancient cities of the world are mysterious and beautiful. The list of the most famous is as follows: Byblos, Jericho and Aleppo, followed by Susa, Damascus, El Faiyum and Plovdiv. It would be fair to indicate Derbent and Zurich, the "eternal city" of Rome, as well as several settlements of ancient China (Ningbo, Changsha, Changzhou and others).

The disappeared Babylon, Palmyra, Pompeii, Ur and Mycenae complete this more than modest list of cities of antiquity. Ancient Persian Persipolis boasts unique sights. At one time it was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, which founded a huge state in the 6th-5th centuries BC, later conquered by Alexander the Great. All ancient cities are surrounded by legends, which are very interesting to get acquainted with.

There are many cities in the world, but only a few of them can boast a thousand-year history, where people have lived in one place since time immemorial. The earliest civilizations appeared on the territory of modern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, southwestern Iran, Greece and India, where the first large settlements were formed. It is difficult for archaeologists to determine which of the cities can bear the title of the oldest in the world, where people continuously lived for centuries. Especially not exact definition what exactly is considered a city, and even more so how to determine how long people lived here “continuously”. But still meet the ten oldest cities in the world that have stood the test of time and have not been wiped off the face of the earth.

10. Beirut, Lebanon

First settlement 3000 BC

The history of Bierut goes back over 5,000 years. The city was founded by the Phoenicians, who became the cultural and political center of the region, where the Hellenes, Romans, Arabs and Ottomans managed to rule for several thousand years. Now Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, where 1.9 million people live.

9. Delhi, India

Delhi was founded by the legendary ruler Pand, the first of the Mahabharata line, around 3650 BC. e., but until it is scientifically proven, it is increasingly based on myths and legends. Although it seems that the archaeologists managed to dig up the pottery and find the remains of the settlement, which confirm the date of the foundation of the city. The city, which occupies a strategic position, was destroyed and plundered several times many times, but each, but each was restored. Today, Delhi is the capital of India, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, where 13 million people live.

8. Gaziantep, Turkey

First settlement 3650 BC

The city is located in the southern part of Turkey on the border with Syria. The city was founded by the Hittites, which passed from hand to hand to the Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, and Seljuks. In 18183, the city was captured by Turkish tribes, which marked the beginning of the flourishing of the city, which became a major trading center lying on the Silk Road. Today Gaziantep is home to 1.3 million people and is the sixth largest city in Turkey.

7. Athens, Greece

Athens is the very embodiment of history, which became the cradle of Western civilization, where many philosophers of antiquity were born and created, only the names of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are worth something. The first human settlements found by archaeologists date back to 4000 BC. Today it is the capital of Greece, where about 650 thousand people live, the main attraction of which is the Acropolis.

6. Sidon, Lebanon

First settlement 4000 BC

Sidon is located 40 kilometers from the Lebanese capital Beirut and 40 kilometers from Tire. The city was founded by the Phoenicians, becoming the capital of one of the most powerful states of its time. Sindong was one of the largest trading centers in the Mediterranean, and its seaport is one of the oldest man-made structures, partially preserved to this day. The city repeatedly passed from hand to hand, having been part of many empires and states, being considered one of the most impregnable cities. Now 200 thousand people live here,

5. Plovdiv, Bulgaria

First settlement 4000 BC

Plovdiv, formerly known as Philippopolis, is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Here, archaeologists have found settlements with Neolithic pottery dating back to about 40,000 BC. The city has a thousand-year history of becoming one of the gates to the Balkans, having been ruled by the Thracians, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans. Now Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, with slightly less than 350,000 inhabitants.

4. Aleppo, Syria

First settlement 4300 BC

Aleppo, one of the oldest cities in the world, was founded in about 4300 BC and was located in a very good place at the crossroads of many trade routes; life has not stopped here for several thousand years. The city was founded by the Hittites, who controlled it until 800 BC, after which it was ruled by the Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, was conquered by the Crusaders, Mongols and Ottomans. Aleppo is now the capital and largest city of Syria, with more than 2.4 million people and is experiencing a renaissance, developing at a frantic pace.

3. Byblos or Byblos, Lebanon

First settlement 5000 BC

One of the largest trading ports of antiquity, through which timber, wine, olive oil were exported, and was especially famous for papyrus. By the way, on behalf of this city, the word "biblio" was borrowed into many European languages. Over the centuries, Byblos has been part of many empires, kingdoms and states, there have been great ups and downs, now the city is called Bint Jubail, where about 30,000 people live and is a Hezbollah stronghold from where they mow down their attacks on Israel.

2. Damascus, Syria

First settlement 6300 BC

The beginning of the city was laid by the Aramaeans, who created a network of canals that continue to be used today. The first settlement appeared here in approximately 6300 BC, and a large city was formed here only by 2000 BC. The city was part of many great kingdoms and empires of its time, it was repeatedly destroyed to the ground, and the inhabitants were brutally massacred. Damascus is now the capital and second largest city of Syria, with a population of 1.75 million people.

1. Jericho, Palestine

First settlement 9000 BC

Jericho is the oldest city in the world, having seen the rise and fall of great civilizations and empires, where people have lived all this time. In ancient times, it was a flourishing city center of trade and agriculture, it was even called the "City of Palms", which is mentioned more than once in the Bible. Now only 20,000 people live here.

Here is such a simple question. What city is the oldest? Not easy the very first city that appeared on our planet, but with a city that, from the moment of its foundation, was constantly inhabited.

Most often, the most ancient city, safely existing to this day, is the Palestinian town of Jericho, which appeared in the Copper Age (9000 BC).

After the exodus from Egypt and the death of Moses, the Israelites were led by Joshua. According to the will of Yahweh, he led them to conquer Canaan. For some reason, the first city on his way turned out to be Jericho (the question has not been clarified to this day): he did not at all lie either on the path from Egypt or on the path from the desert. From time immemorial, the fortress was considered impregnable, so Jesus sent scouts. Obviously, the scouts confirmed the worst fears of the Israelites regarding the power of the walls of Jericho, for the siege tactics chosen by Jesus the commander have no analogues in world history.

After celebrating the Passover, Jesus forced the entire male population of Israel to undergo a rite of circumcision that had not been practiced since the Exodus. After that, the Israelites walked at a safe distance around the walls of Jericho for six days. The procession was led by warriors, men followed them and doomedly blew pipes and pipes, followed by the priests carrying the ark, and closing this procession were old men, women and children. Only 4 million people, everyone was ominously silent, only the howling and whistling of the pipes resounded the air. The besieged observed with great surprise such a strange method of siege, suspecting the magical meaning of what was happening, but did not surrender to the mercy of God's chosen people.

On the seventh day, Joshua (by the way, in violation of the covenant to rest on the seventh day) decided to storm. The Israelites circled the walls six times in deathly silence. And on the seventh lap they screamed together and loudly. The walls could not withstand the screams and screams - and collapsed. Probably, along with them, the Canaanites also fainted ... The Israelites broke into the city and killed every single inhabitant, and even animals. Only the prostitute Rahab was spared, who let me spend the night Israeli scouts. The city itself was burned to the ground...

Much effort was expended to find Jericho of Canaan. A lot of energy was expended by researchers in search of Jericho of Israel. The peculiarity of the search was that science tried to reconcile the Bible with history: most archaeologists of the past were Christians. They looked for confirmation of the Old Testament in Egypt and Syria, Babylon and Palestine. From the search for the pharaoh, during which the Exodus from Egypt took place, a whole problem arose, unsolvable for centuries. That is why it was so important to find Jericho - if it existed, it should have stood in its original place, on the Jordan ... True, they had no idea - which one: Canaanite or Israeli Jericho? Neither was found.

Joshua cursed the Canaanite Jericho (Bk. I.N., VI, 25). In the middle of the 19th century, Tobler and Robinson suggested the approximate place where it should have been, this accursed Jericho. Having chosen a hill in the middle of the plain, not far from the Jordan, they began excavations on it and found nothing. In 1868, Warren also dug on the hill, and nothing was found either. In 1894, Blythe drew the attention of scientists to the same hill, believing that Jericho was still hiding under it. And the German archaeologist Sellin in 1899 studied the surface of the hill and discovered several shards of Canaanite dishes. He came to the conclusion that his predecessors were still right: most likely, an ancient city is hidden under the layers. Moreover, a village called Eriha has been preserved here ... And the Jordan is not far away.

In 1904, the Germans Thirsch and Geliper visited here and collected new data that indicated the correctness of the conclusions of everyone who tried to find Jericho in the vicinity of Erichi. But the honor of the discoverer still belongs to Sellin. In 1907, Sellin obtained materials that confirmed everything that archeology dreamed of: he discovered houses and part of the city wall with a tower (five rows of masonry and adobe masonry 3 meters high). Finally, in 1908, more serious excavations were organized by the East Society of Germany, led by Sellin, Langen-Egger and Watzinger. In 1909 Nöldeke and Schulze joined them.

The hill, in plan resembling an ellipse, stretched from the north-northeast to the south-southwest, the city covered an area of ​​235,000 square meters. Archaeologists unearthed completely (in the north) the width of the city wall, equal to 3 meters, opened the second city wall 1.5 meters wide. Another part of the wall was discovered on the same northern slope of the hill with a stone plinth and adobe masonry 7 meters high. After examining an area of ​​1,350 square meters between the city walls and trial northern excavations, scientists discovered a later Muslim cemetery in the upper layers, and the remains of urban buildings in the lower layers.

Excavations on the western side of the hill have unearthed stone stairs built after the destruction of the city walls, and under the stairs were also the remains of much earlier houses. In the northern part of the hill, the walls of the Hittite building (the Khilani building) were exposed. Closer to the eastern wall, which has not been preserved, are the remains of houses. Not far from the inner city wall are blocks of houses, as well as a street under the wall. On an area of ​​200 square meters to the west, a city wall and the remains of buildings were discovered, and a Byzantine necropolis was found under the wall. Near the southwestern wall, the remains of a house from the Jewish era were unearthed.

Initially, archaeologists counted eight layers, replacing one another: Muslim, the latest, represented by graves; Byzantine layer; late Jewish, with fragments of Attic utensils of the classical era; ancient Jewish (house over an ancient wall); Israeli, which includes the Khilani house, the houses in the center (closer to the missing east wall), graves, stairs, and the outer city wall; late Canaanite (finds between the outer and inner city walls and ceramics); ancient Canaanite - the remains of a city with houses and an outer and inner city wall; finally, the original layer, also divided into several periods, to which the houses under the inner city wall belong, some arrays of bricks to the northwest? ...

Despite the significant shortcomings with which the excavations were carried out, even the fact that scientists certainly wanted to "fit to the Bible" many discoveries, the main contribution of Sellin and his colleagues to science is that the history of Jericho ceased to be reckonable from Joshua, and the scientific world received the most ancient city known on Earth, dating back (in the view of the 1920s) to the 4th millennium BC. e.

The city was called Lunar because of the cult of the Moon. The initial and Canaanite periods of Jericho, of which the latter is indicated by the destruction of massive brick walls in the northwest and the erection of two city walls - outer and inner, like two rings. The city was especially impregnable from the east, from where the nomads pestered. The population of the city, both in the initial period and in the Canaanite period, was one and the same. In the oldest layer, tools made of flint, tools made of other stones, the so-called "cup" stones, were found.

After the destruction of the city of the initial period, Jericho moved somewhat to the south of the hill. The Canaanite walls were erected already in the III-II millennium BC. e. Sellin correlated the fact of destruction with the invasion of the “four kings of the East” (Book of Genesis, ch. 14).

The double defensive wall of Jericho is an exception for Palestine. But among the Hittites it was a common method of protection.

Canaanite Jericho is very beautiful. It contains Aegean and Babylonian motifs, although it is mostly independent. In one of the houses, a stone god was found, similar to the products of Gezer. Burials of the Canaanite period were not found in the city. The city was destroyed from the east, where the entire city wall was destroyed, and set on fire (traces of fire are everywhere), after which it remained almost uninhabited for some time. However, part of the population continued to live in Jericho, and archeology connects this with the late Canaanite period. The period is characterized by the so-called impaled ceramics. Sellin believed that this time Jericho was destroyed by the Israelites. During the Israelite era, the Canaanites lived in the city for a long time, until they were completely assimilated with the conquerors. However, excavations at the beginning of the century showed that the late Canaanite period left no traces of the presence of another people. Before the invasion of the Israelites in the middle of the II millennium BC. e. there were still a few centuries left ... Actually, the Israeli layer in Jericho, Sellin himself dated the XI-IX centuries BC. e.

Jericho, Israel, had an unusually lively life. The influence of ties with the Aramaic regions affected. Stairs were built over the ruined walls, and a new imposing wall was erected, the Khilani palace in the Hittite style. Archaeologists have found a lot of multi-colored various ceramics, even stylized as metal. The palace and wall of Israel's Jericho were built by Chiel, probably the viceroy of King Ahab. Jericho became the center of a significant region, and the fortress protected from the Moabites.

In Israeli Jericho, burials were unearthed in the courtyards of houses. Clay vessels were found with the bones. The children were buried under the floor of the houses.

At the end of the 8th century BC. e. the kingdom of Israel perished (722). The walls of Israeli Jericho were destroyed. But the city did not stop its existence. Above it, two of its periods - early and late - lived the Jewish Jericho. The city was no longer fortified, but life was in full swing in it. The early Jewish city was on the eastern slope of the hill. Jericho traded with Cyprus and Egypt. Among the finds are Cypriot vases, Indian ceramics, Attic and Hellenistic vessels, amulets, gods and demons. The city of Judea was destroyed under Sodecius by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who attacked suddenly: many utensils remained in the houses. The city was burned, and many people were taken into captivity. New Jericho began to be rebuilt in the north (within the former).

In 350 B.C. e. the city was again destroyed, and all the inhabitants were taken into captivity. Until the middle of the II century BC. e. Maccabean city was located 2-3 kilometers northwest of the hill. At the end of the 2nd century, Jericho again came to life, however, also not on a hill, but near Wadi Kelt. But in the year 70 of the 1st century A.D. e. was destroyed by Vespasian. Under Adrian, it was restored. Then the ruins of Khilani were still “alive”, which were revered as “the house of Rahab”. And, although this house is later, it is presented as the house of a traitor to the city, who helped Israel.

In 614 the city was destroyed by the Persians. Traces of the Byzantine period have been preserved: a pottery oven, a lot of dishes - ceramic, glass, bronze, iron ...

The city existed in the 7th-9th centuries, and later. From the 13th century, there was a Muslim village in it, which was demolished by Ibrahim Pasha in the middle of the 19th century ... But life on the hill did not stop: the village of Erich remained ...

As for the Jericho Trumpets, this is probably not a legend, but a remnant of a wonderful ancient knowledge, known then, but forgotten by us. So the ziggurat of Chichen Itza Kukulkan, on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, “with the accuracy of a Swiss chronometer” (G. Hancock “Traces of the Gods”), on the steps of the northern staircase from triangles of light and shadow, added an image of a giant wriggling snake. The illusion lasted for three hours and twenty-two minutes... the wonderful temples of Ancient America, according to the enthusiastic recollections of the Indians themselves, were built "to the sound of divine trumpets": the multifaceted block itself fit into a complex geometric masonry. These walls are still standing today. In the same way, to the sounds of the lyre of Orpheus, the stones themselves folded into the walls, and the trees began to dance. Perhaps the walls of Jericho were destroyed in an equally incredible way ... True, the children of Israel had to work hard, carrying the “Holy Ark” around the city for seven whole days ...

Hisham Palace. Mosaic with Goddess.

And, oddly enough, Zellin's research showed that the walls of Jericho did indeed fall! Outer - outward, inner - inward. For several decades, a dispute arose: when? .. And so far there is no consensus on this matter among scientists. We venture to suggest that, nevertheless, at the turn of the XIV-XIII centuries BC. e. this version is not rejected by some experts.

Further events were associated with new discoveries. An accidental grenade explosion on a hill in 1918 unearthed an ancient synagogue.

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Since 1929, excavations in Jericho were led by the Englishman John Gersteng. In 1935-1936, he discovered the lower layers of the Stone Age settlement! People who did not know ceramics already led a sedentary lifestyle. They lived first in round semi-dugouts, and later in rectangular houses. In one of these excavated houses, a front hall with six wooden pillars was found - these are the remains of a temple. Scientists did not find household items here, but they found many animal figurines made of clay: horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, as well as plastic sculptures of fertility symbols. In one of the layers of prehistoric Jericho, life-size group portraits (sculptures) of men, women and children (clay on a reed frame) were found.

Further discoveries in Jericho were made by Cutley Canyon in 1953. It was then that they started talking about Jericho as the oldest city in the world.

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The fortress of the 8th millennium was surrounded by a thick stone wall with powerful towers, and none of the later cities on this site had such powerful towers. The wall surrounded an area of ​​2.5 hectares, where about 3 thousand people lived. Most likely, they were engaged in trade in salt from the Dead Sea.

In addition, ancient Jericho is probably the "ancestors" of the tradition of beheading the dead before burial. Probably, this was associated with the cult of the Moon and symbolized the hopes for rebirth. In any case, the heads were kept (or buried) separately from the body. This custom is still preserved among some peoples.

This was the oldest city on Earth, Jericho.

Due to its geographical location, Jericho has long been the key to the Palestinian Highlands, as many roads converged here. Pilgrims from countries located east of the Jordan gathered in the city when they went to Jerusalem on the days of great temple holidays. Jesus Christ also came here from Nazareth, when he first directed his steps towards the holy city. Not reaching Jericho, the Savior healed a man who was blind from birth, who was sitting by the road and begging.

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Not far from the market square of modern Jericho stands a hill 20 meters high. It was here at the beginning of the 20th century that what was left of ancient Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world, was discovered. However, on the territory of the excavations, the remains of a powerful tower that has grown deep into the ground also attract attention; and north of the excavations of ancient Jericho are the ruins of the palace of Hisham ibn al-Malik, the Umayyad Caliph of Damascus. This magnificent palace was built in the 8th century, but now scientists have found only the remains of two mosques and several baths. The main attraction of the Hisham Palace are the surviving mosaic paintings: one of them is especially noteworthy, which depicts the “tree of life”, strewn with golden fruits, and a lion attacking gazelles.

On the western border of modern Jericho rises the "Forty-Day Mountain" (its height is 380 m), which is also called the "Mountain of Temptation". It is on this mountain that, according to legend, Jesus Christ, tempted by the devil, fasted for 40 days and 40 nights after his baptism. At the top of the mountain there are ruins of a Byzantine church.

Joshua Nun. The fall Jericho.

On the way to this mountain is the source of the prophet Elisha, and the ruins around it indicate the location of the ancient city, located five miles from the Jordan River. However, some scholars believe that this was not the location of the New Testament Jericho, which may or may not coincide with the location of the small village of Jericho, sometimes called Jericho.

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Memphis, Babylon, Thebes - all of them were once the largest centers, but only the name remains of them. However, there are cities that have existed throughout the history of mankind, from the Stone Age to the present day.

Jericho (West Bank)

At the very foot of the Judean Mountains, opposite the confluence of the Jordan into the Dead Sea, is the most ancient city on earth - Jericho. Traces of settlements dating back to the 10th-9th millennium BC were found here. e. It was a permanent site of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A culture, whose representatives built the first wall of Jericho. The defensive structure of the Stone Age was four meters high and two meters wide. Inside it was a powerful eight-meter tower, which, obviously, was used for ritual purposes. Its ruins have survived to this day.

The name Jericho (in Hebrew Jericho) according to one version comes from a word with the meaning "smell" and "fragrance" - "reah". According to another, from the word moon - "yareah", which the founders of the city could revere. We find the first written mention of it in the book of Joshua, which describes the fall of the walls of Jericho and the capture of the city by the Jews in 1550 BC. e. By that time, the city was already a powerful fortified fortress, whose system of seven walls was a real labyrinth. Not for nothing - Jericho had something to defend. It was located at the crossroads of three important trade routes in the Middle East, right in the middle of a blooming oasis with a lot of fresh water and fertile soil. For the inhabitants of the desert - the real promised land.

Jericho was the first city to be captured by the Israelites. It was completely destroyed, and all the inhabitants were killed, with the exception of the harlot Rahab, who had previously sheltered Jewish spies, for which she was spared.

Today, Jericho, located on the West Bank of the Jordan, is a disputed territory between Palestine and Israel, remaining in a zone of constant military conflict. Therefore, visiting the most ancient and rich in historical sights of the city is not recommended.

Damascus: "eye of the desert" (Syria)

Damascus, the current capital of Syria, is fighting for the first place with Jericho. The earliest mention of it was found in the list of conquered cities of Pharaoh Thutmose III, who lived in 1479-1425 BC. e. In the first book of the Old Testament, Damascus is mentioned as a large and well-known center of trade.

In the 13th century, the historian Yakut al-Humavi claimed that the city was founded by Adam and Eve themselves, who, after being expelled from Eden, found refuge in the cave of blood (Magarat ad-Damm) on Mount Qasyun on the outskirts of Damascus. The first murder in history, described in Old Testament Cain killed his brother. According to legend, the self-name Damascus comes from the ancient Aramaic word "demshak", which means "brother's blood." Another, more plausible version says that the name of the city goes back to the Aramaic word Darmeśeq, which means “well-irrigated place”.

It is not known for certain who first founded the settlement near Mount Kasyun. But recent excavations at Tel Ramada, a suburb of Damascus, have shown that humans settled the area around 6300 BC. e.

Byblos (Lebanon)

Closes the top three of the most ancient cities - Byblos, known today as Jbeil. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, 32 km from Beirut, the current capital of Lebanon. Once it was a large Phoenician city, founded in the 4th millennium BC, although the first settlements on this territory date back to the Late Stone Age - the 7th millennium.

The ancient name of the city is associated with the legend of a certain Biblis, who was madly in love with her brother, Kavnos. She died of grief when her lover fled to escape sin, and her shed tears formed an inexhaustible well of water that watered the city. According to another version, byblos in Greece was called papyrus, which was exported from the city.

Byblos was one of the largest ports of antiquity. He was also known for the spread of the cult of Baal there - the formidable god of the Sun, who "demanded" self-torture and bloody sacrifices from his adherents. The written language of the ancient Byblos is still one of the main mysteries of the Ancient World. The Proto-Biblic script, widespread in the second millennium BC, is still not decipherable, it does not look like any of the known writing systems of the Ancient World.

Plovdiv (Bulgaria)

Today, it is customary to consider the oldest city in Europe not Rome or even Athens, but the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, located in the southern part of the country between the Rhodope and Balkan mountains (the home of the legendary Orpheus) and the Upper Thracian lowland. The first settlements on its territory date back to the 6th-4th millennium BC. e., although Plovdiv, or rather, then Evmolpiada, reached its heyday under the peoples of the sea - the Thracians. In 342 BC. it was captured by Philip II of Macedon, the father of the famous Alexander, who named it Philippopolis in his honor. Subsequently, the city managed to be under Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman rule, which made it the second cultural center in Bulgaria after Sofia. In world history, Derbent has become an unspoken "checkpoint" between Europe and Asia. One of the most important sections of the Great Silk Road ran here. It is not surprising that he has always been a favorite object of the neighbors' conquests. The Roman Empire showed great interest in him - the main goal of the campaigns to the Caucasus by Lucullus and Pompey in 66-65 BC. was precisely Derbent. In the 5th century A.D. e. when the city belonged to the Sassanids, powerful fortifications were erected here to protect against nomads, including the fortress of Naryn-kala. From it, located at the foot of the mountain range, two walls descended to the sea, designed to protect the city and the trade route. It is from this time that the history of Derbent as a large city is counted.