The Oldest Cities in the World

As agriculture developed, people produced surplus food, and trade became an everyday activity. Most historians believe these trends in agriculture are responsible for the birth of cities. Yet, some think cities were first built for defense reasons. In either case, there are several cities in the world which have continuously been inhabited for thousands of years.

A Brief History of Cities

• The English word “city” came through Old French, and has roots in Latin civitas, which means “citizenship”. The influence of the Greek word polis, meaning “city”, can be noticed is English words such as “metropolis” (a really large city).
• Some of the earliest cities developed 4000-3000 BC, as civilizations in the Middle East, India and China flourished. Some, like Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, were very densely populated, so they had to develop complex system to keep the city sanitary.
• In the Middle Ages, some cities like Venice and San Marino took control over surrounding villages and became powerful city-states.
• The growth of modern industries led many people to migrate from rural areas to cities, which brought about the rise of megacities, places with over 10 million people.

Jericho, Palestinian Territories

Through its ancient archaeological sites, Jericho tells countless stories about the history of humans. Not only is this the city with the oldest wall, built around the first community 10,000 years ago, but it is also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the “City of Palm Trees”.

Jericho’s Arabic name Ariha means “fragrant”. In the beginning, the indigenous populations lived alone in an agricultural community, but slowly, different groups of nomads joined them.

This city has had a turbulent history ever since, yet it remained continuously inhabited. Nowadays, several Christian pilgrimage sites located in the city make Jericho a popular tourist destination.

Byblos, Lebanon

People have been living in Byblos for more than 8,000 years. An ancient myth suggests that this city, lying on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, was built by Greek god Cronus.

The earliest records show that the city was in fact called Gubal. The Greek name Byblos was most probably adopted because papyrus (paper), which was imported through this city, was also called byblos in Greek. (That is why biblion in Greek means “book”, and it is also the origin of the English word bible.)

Byblos was a small fishing village at first, but as trade increased, it became an important shipping port. Although destroyed numerous times, Byblos still has remnants of its ancient history, particularly its temples, to offer to curious tourists, many of whom also find it to be a great beach destination.