The history of human civilization has been going on for more than five thousand years. Since ancient times, people built cities in which part of the population of any country lived. The reasons for their occurrence were different, but all cities were supposed to make life easier for people and increase the comfort of their lives.
Reasons for cities
Urban settlements appeared long before our era. The history of the ancient East is a direct proof of this, it was here that the beginning of urban planning was laid. Such settlements arose as places of compact residence of the population. So, the progress of mankind in the field of production led to the first serious phenomenon - the separation of craft from agriculture. In fact, this meant the beginning of the rapid development of productive forces, naturally, they should, if possible, be concentrated in one place. So, small settlements gradually grew, artisans came here to sell their products, and here they stayed. It was very convenient to produce and sell in one place, so soon such settlements acquired urban features. The Middle East is considered the cradle of human civilization, so the oldest cities in the worldlocated right here.
Old Eastern stage of town formation
The second prerequisite for the emergence of ancient Eastern cities was trade. The states of that period were active in commercial activities. Many merchants settled in places most convenient for these purposes - at the intersection of trade routes, the coasts of the seas. Numerous trade caravans flocked here. Over time, small settlements turned into large cities with a commercial specialization. Trade contributed to the influx of money and made it possible to improve urban areas and improve the quality of life of the population. It was in these cities that sewerage appeared for the first time in history, which came into use in European cities almost at the beginning of the New Age. The oldest cities in the world are scattered throughout the biblical places, many of them are described in this sacred book for Christians. Here you can read about the origin of cities, their destruction. Some cities arose as a result of the will of the cruel, despotic rulers of that era. For example, such is the history of the ancient Egyptian city of Akhetaten. By order of Akhenaten, a new urban center arose on an empty, bare, and, moreover, unsuitable for construction site. However, the choice turned out to be extremely unsuccessful, shortly after the death of the pharaoh, the city fell into disrepair and ceased to exist.
Ancient urban center
The oldest city in the world is also located in the Middle East. It is considered to be Jericho, which was located inthe sacred lands of Canaan for the Jews. According to legend, the Israelites had to capture this city without fail in order to gain access to the holy places for them. The siege of the city was led by Joshua. For a long time, the Jews walked around the city wall in absolute silence, which greatly surprised the townspeople. Finally, at the end of the seventh day, the absolute silence was interrupted by the cries and cries of the Israelites. The walls could not withstand such a sound and collapsed. So Jericho was captured, and all its inhabitants were destroyed, with the exception of a woman named Rahab, who helped the Jews take over the city. The oldest city in the world then received a second life, becoming Israeli. According to the descriptions of contemporaries, the city was very beautiful. It had many buildings of different styles and purposes. Jericho has been attacked many times. After the destruction of the Israeli kingdom, the city was practically liquidated, but again, like a Phoenix bird, rose from the ashes.
Biblical places
Jericho - the oldest city in the world - has experienced many disasters in its history and has seen a great many conquerors. The Babylonians attacked him twice, and the second time all the inhabitants were taken into captivity. But even this could not interrupt the life of the city, it was slowly rebuilt and populated, only its location changed slightly. In the seventh century BC, Jericho was again destroyed. This time the Persians took it by storm and destroyed the city buildings. Again, the inhabitants had to, armed with construction tools, build a city. However, the troubles did not end there either. During the reign of the Roman emperor VespasianBy order of the oldest city in the world was again destroyed. But in the reign of another emperor - Hadrian - the city was restored again. Since 1284, there was a settlement here, which was destroyed in the 19th century by Turkish troops. But it was not possible to completely deprive this place of life. Soon a new settlement was founded there, which still exists today. Its history is a mixture of human and national tragedies that lasted for centuries. However, the name Jericho has survived as a cultural and historical concept.
Cadiz and Trier
With the decline of the ancient Eastern period of history, the leading positions in the construction of cities are moving to another continent. Europe has been in the shadows for a long time, but the moment has come. The Middle Ages - the period of the highest flowering of European urban planning. Here, the same principles of the emergence of urban settlements operated. Cities arose as fortresses, trade and craft, religious centers. At the turn of the eighth century, early European cities formed a huge trade ring from Northern France to Itil on the Volga. In this series of cities, Spanish Cadiz stands out - the oldest city in Europe. According to scientists, the city was founded by the Phoenicians as a trading post, later used as a military base on the coast by the Romans. There are several other ancient city complexes in Europe. The oldest city in Germany - Trier - was founded by the Roman emperor Augustus and was called for a long time by the name of the founder. After the conquest of the city by the barbarian Germans, the city changesits name, which has survived with slight modifications to this day.
Progenitor of Russian cities
Ancient Russia did not lag behind other European states. Not without reason in the Scandinavian sources it was called "Gardarika", which means the country of cities. This testifies to the active urban development in our country. By the XII century, there were already more than two hundred cities on the territory of Kievan Rus. According to archeology, as early as the end of the 6th century, a fortified urban settlement existed on the Kyiv hills. According to legend, the oldest city in Russia was founded by three brothers - Shchek, Khoriv and Kiy. In honor of his elder brother, the city was named Kyiv, which later became the center of the glades, and after Oleg conquered it, it became the capital of the ancient Russian state.
