According to palmistry, the Apollo line on the palm indicates the presence of talent...
How many years can a residential building last for a person? History gives very unexpected answers to this question - there are cases where people live in individual houses for centuries and even millennia! It all depends on the material, the environment and the person’s attention to his home.
So, let's try to determine the oldest residential building in the world.
Wooden house
The oldest of the wooden residential buildings, which not only has survived to this day, but also continues to serve faithfully for its intended purpose, is considered to be the so-called “King’s Farm” in the Faroe Islands (an autonomous part of Denmark). It was presumably built in the 11th century.
At first, this house housed the residence of the local bishop and a seminary. But after in 1538 all the property of the Catholic Church in the Faroe Islands became the property of the King of Denmark, the “mansion” received its classic name. The ancient Danish family of Patersons, who have lived here since the mid-16th century, merely rents land and housing from the Danish crown.
House made of stone
Perhaps this very original house of either three or four floors, located in the French Aveyron, can be called the oldest residential building made of stone still inhabited. Its history dates back to the 13th century.
Such an unusual design, expanding upward, speaks of the thriftiness of its previous owners. The fact is that in medieval France, all residential buildings were taxed on the number of square meters, and only the first floor was taken into account.
If hotels can also be classified as residential buildings, then the “champion” in this category is without a doubt the Hyoshi Hotel. Built in the suburbs of the Japanese city of Komatsu, it welcomed its first guests back in 717.
Since that memorable year, almost 50 generations of owners have changed, but the hotel still hospitably opens its doors to guests who are ready to pay 300 euros per day for comfort, modern amenities and SPA treatments in healing springs, but most importantly - for the unique aroma of antiquity .
They can argue!
Other objects in which people live to this day could well have intervened in the debate about who and what is ancient, if not for one “but” - with all the conventions it is difficult to call a traditional home... a cave. But still.
About 170 families live in the village of Kandovan (Iran). They organized their life in bizarre grottoes that arose in volcanic rocks. People have been settling here for over 800 years.
But in the Italian town of Matera, literally carved into picturesque rocks, people stubbornly remain faithful to the unusual dwellings of their ancestors. If scientists do not “embellish” their age, then the first catacombs were cut down here as much as 9 thousand years ago!
There are probably many other places and buildings that would compete with our small rating. But regardless of which of the structures - mentioned or still remaining unnamed - is ancient, they all equally evoke admiration for their “longevity” and the imperishable memory of the human hands that built them.
Today, people look at giant skyscrapers and consider them the pinnacle of human engineering. At the same time, many are not even aware of the technological wonders of ancient history - buildings and temples that would seem impossible to build in that distant time.
This review contains little-known examples of amazing ancient buildings.
1. Pueblo Bonito. USA
Located in northwestern New Mexico, Pueblo Bonito is the largest and most famous example of a "palace village" built by the Anasazi culture. The settlement began to be built in the first half of the 10th century AD, and was completed only 180 years later. At its peak, Pueblo Bonito had approximately 800 individual structures, some as many as five stories tall. The ancient settlement was first discovered in 1849 by US Army Lieutenant James H. Simpson. Since then, Pueblo Bonito has become one of the most excavated and explored archaeological sites in the southwestern United States. Unfortunately, a number of buildings were damaged when part of the cliff behind the settlement collapsed. What is especially interesting is that many mysterious petroglyphs were found in Pueblo Bonito, made somewhere at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century.2. Chatal. Türkiye
The ancient settlement of Catal, discovered in southern Turkey, is estimated by modern scientists to have existed since 7500 BC. until about 5700 BC It was built by an unknown Neolithic culture, which scientists believe was highly advanced at that time. Excavations have been ongoing since the discovery of Chatal in the late 1950s by British archaeologist James Mellaart. A number of interesting items were discovered, including (presumably) the earliest known map and some of the highest quality daggers of the period. The houses in Chatal have one intriguing feature: they do not have doors, and one had to enter the house through the roof, climbing up the stairs. In addition, the dead in this ancient settlement were buried under the floors of houses, in particular under fireplaces.
3. Lokmarak. France
The French region of Brittany is famous for its group of the largest prehistoric European megaliths. The largest megalith, created around 4500 BC, measures almost 21 meters in length and weighs between 200 and 280 tons. Today, no one will know why this megalith, known as the “Fairy Stone,” was broken thousands of years ago. This may have been caused by an earthquake, but most likely it was done by people. What is especially striking is that the “Fairy Stone” was delivered in one solid piece from a quarry located more than 10 kilometers away. How this was done is unknown.
4. Colossi of Memnon. Egypt
Built as a monument to Pharaoh Amenhotep III and placed near his now-destroyed temple, the Colossi of Memnon are a pair of 23-meter-tall statues. Also on these statues (to be more precise, at the foot of the thrones of the statues) you can find reliefs of Amenhotep’s wife, daughter and mother. The statues were named after Memnon, the hero of the Trojan War. There were stories that before the statues were damaged by the earthquake, the northern statue would make a sound like a bell ringing in the morning (possibly due to rising temperatures). The Egyptians believed that this sound expressed the approval of the gods.
5. Pillar of Pompey. Egypt
Pompey's Pillar was erected as a monument to the Roman Emperor Diocletian after he suppressed a rebellion in Alexandria. It is often mistakenly believed that it was built in honor of the Roman consul Gnaeus Pompey the Great, but the inscription on its base clearly indicates that the pillar was made in honor of Diocletian by the people of Alexandria. The story that when Pompey was defeated by Julius Caesar and fled Rome for Egypt, he was killed in Alexandria and his head placed in a funerary jar on top of a pillar (thus giving the pillar its name) is a myth. The 27-meter-tall pillar was built during the fourth century AD and was once part of the temple of the Roman god Serapis, which was later destroyed.
6. Dolmen Menga. Spain
Dating back to around 2000 BC, the Menga Dolmen (also known as Cueva de Menga) is a large megalithic burial mound located in southern Spain. The rows of burial chambers (their walls, roof and pillars) were created from huge stone blocks weighing up to 180 tons. As for the name, legend has it that a leper named Menga took up residence inside the dolmen after her husband died. Archaeologists believe that this dolmen is the largest such structure in Europe, and several hundred different skeletons inside it may have belonged to the rulers of the culture that built Menga. However, who these builders were remains a mystery to this day.
7. Quirigua. Guatemala
Built by the Mayans between 200 and 800 AD. The city of Quirigua contains remarkable examples of Mayan architecture, as well as some of the largest stelae (carved stone monuments) in existence. The “Stela E” alone weighs an incredible 65 tons. Quirigua was abandoned around 900 AD, which was probably due to the decline of the jade trade.
8. Dur Sharrukin. Iraq
Dur Sharrukin, which translates from Akkadian as "Sargon's Fortress", was built by the Assyrians sometime between 717 and 707 BC. in the northern part of modern Iraq. The size of the city was almost 2.6 square kilometers, and especially notable were the temple of Nabu (the god of vegetation) and the royal palace. However, the most interesting artifact recovered from the ruins is the Assyrian bull - a stone statue weighing about 40 tons. The city was abandoned soon after its construction was completed because King Sargon II of Assyria was killed in battle.
9. Hajar Kim. Malta
Located in Malta, the megalithic temple complex of Hajar Qim is believed to have been built by a culture unknown to modern scientists between 3200 and 2500 BC. It is believed that this culture was destroyed as a result of famine or natural disaster. One of the earliest examples of religious beliefs can be found in Hajar Qim, with a number of statues of the fertility goddess preserved in the local temple. Interestingly, Hajar Qim was built hundreds of years earlier than Stonehenge.
10. Tiwanaku. Bolivia
The prehistoric capital of the Tiwanaku culture, the city of Tiwanaku is located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. It was originally a small village, but between 400 and 900 AD. the city literally blossomed and many of the largest stone structures in South America were erected there. However, the city suddenly became deserted around 1000 AD, most likely due to floods. Eventually the Tiahuanaco civilization was conquered by the Incas. The city, which was once home to more than a million people, was only rediscovered in 1876.
A trip to the most ancient cities on the planet will help you touch the origins of civilization. By visiting some of them during your summer vacation, you can not only have a good rest, but also learn a lot of interesting information.
1. Maltese megalithic temples, Malta
Maltese temples are the oldest man-made structures on Earth. Scientific research has proven that temples were built a thousand years before the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. Scientists cannot understand how people at that time were able to build such structures without the use of special equipment. After all, many monolithic stone slabs from which temples were built weigh more than fifty tons. There is indirect evidence that the territory of Malta at that time was inhabited by giant people who had no difficulty moving multi-ton monoliths. There is no answer to the question of what kind of civilization existed in this territory, and where the builders of the stone temples went. After all, similar structures have not been discovered anywhere else on Earth. Unfortunately, numerous wars and civil strife that took place on Maltese territory more or less destroyed the ancient buildings, but many of them have survived and are accessible to tourists. UNESCO took the prehistoric temples under its protection and included them in the World Heritage List. Today they are accessible to tourists.
2. Sardinian Ziggurat, Sardinia
The Sardinian ziggurat was built more than five and a half thousand years ago and was an important religious center. During the Second World War, the ziggurat was thoroughly destroyed, as the defense line passed through this place. But starting in 1954, the Sardinian ziggurat began to be restored and restored. Currently, the prehistoric complex receives numerous groups of tourists from all over the world.
3. Newgrange, Ireland
Newgrange is one of the attractions of Ireland. The oldest structure was erected between 3100 and 2900 BC. Newgrange is a megalithic structure; multi-ton stone slabs were used as building material. The plates were connected to each other without the use of a special solution. The structure has a height of thirteen meters and a diameter of eighty-five meters. Scientists assume that it was used as a calendar, since the structure is strictly oriented to the cardinal points. Perhaps this structure was used to determine the time of sowing and harvesting. Newgrange is located near the River Boyne.
4. Hulbjerg Jættestue, Denmark
The structure was built more than five thousand years ago and was used as a tomb. Scientists archaeologists found the remains of four hundred people in the tomb. The teeth of one of the buried people showed traces of healing. The level of ancient dentistry amazed scientists. Without metal instruments, the doctor managed to place a dental filling of sufficiently high quality.
5. Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt
The oldest one in Egypt was built in 2650 BC. The author of the pyramid, Imhotep, erected it for Pharaoh Djoser as a tomb. The pyramid has a stepped shape, for this reason in the circles of archaeological scientists it is also called the Step Pyramid. The pyramid is very popular among tourists due to its venerable age and unusual shape.
6. Caral, Peru
Caral is a city that existed more than five thousand years ago, it is considered the oldest urban settlement on the American continent. The city arose approximately at the same time as other first world civilizations. Scientists hope to find answers to questions about the emergence of the first civilizations in the city. Currently, seventeen pyramids have been cleared of sand and are accessible to tourists. The reasons for the disappearance of Caral have not yet been established; it is assumed that people left the city in 1600 BC and moved to other more favorable areas of Peru.
7. Treasury of Atreus, Greece
The tomb is located in Mycenae, its estimated age is three thousand two hundred years. The famous archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann made a great contribution to the scientific research of the tomb. During the excavations, it was discovered that all the domed tombs, of which there were nine, had been completely looted, but the earlier tombs, built in the sixteenth century BC, remained intact. Archaeologists discovered the richest burials; the faces of all the people buried in the tomb were covered with masks made of gold. The robes of the buried were also decorated with gold. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the bodies of once reigning dynasties rest in these tombs.
According to experts, architectural structures appeared long before our era. The ancient buildings preserved on our planet are amazing, they amaze the imagination. Let's find out what the most ancient buildings in the world are. The structures of the ancient world that have reached us are completely different from the structures of modern architecture.
Who built the most ancient buildings, for what purpose, and using what technology, how they have survived to this day - all these questions arise when you see the buildings of the ancient world. Read more about the most interesting buildings of that period below.
The Bugon necropolis is the oldest surviving structure
The oldest structure in the world is located in the Bougon necropolis, which was discovered in France on the banks of the Bougon River in the first half of the nineteenth century. Extensive excavations were carried out there in the late sixties of the last century. The necropolis consists of five megalithic burial mounds dating back to the Neolithic era. As a result of excavations, it turned out that the oldest building of this complex was built in four thousand eight hundred BC. e.
Skara Brae - the remains of the oldest settlement in Scotland
Ten houses built on the territory of modern Scotland in two thousand five hundred BC. e. - the oldest buildings in Europe. This settlement is named Skara Brae. It is located on the islands. All the houses were perfectly preserved, thanks to which scientists found out how ancient people lived. According to the researchers, the dwellings were well equipped - they had water supply, heating, and covered passages.
Great Zimbabwe is one of the oldest structures on Earth
In South Africa, the oldest and at the same time the largest structure is considered Great Zimbabwe. This structure appeared in the eleventh century, its population was at least eighteen thousand people. Scientists do not know why Great Zimbabwe was abandoned in the fifteenth century. The height of the ancient ruins reaches eleven meters. All structures were erected using the dry masonry method - granite slabs are laid in rows. This is surprising, since the standard materials in Africa during that period were wood and clay.
Pyramid of Josser in Saqara - the oldest of the Egyptian pyramids
In two thousand six hundred and fifty BC. e. In Egypt, the architect Imhotep built the Pyramid of Josser. As you know, this is the oldest pyramid in Egypt and one of the most ancient structures in the world. Its height is sixty-two meters.
The Mamertine dungeon is one of the most ancient prisons
The Mamertine prison was erected in Rome near the Capitoline Hill even BC. e. - in five hundred and seventy-eight. Criminals were kept there, and many of them were innocent. It was in this prison that Saints Peter and Paul ended their lives.
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut - a famous building of the ancient world
A work of ancient architecture that has survived to this day in excellent condition is the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. It is located in Egypt. The year of construction is not reliably known, presumably one thousand four hundred and seventy-three BC. e. Even now we can say that the architect who created the temple is a genius.
It is generally accepted that the Ancient World is a collection of civilizations that existed on earth from prehistoric times to the beginning of the Middle Ages. The framework is very conventional - for them they are their own, for America - theirs (the beginning of the colonization of the continent by Europeans).
Amazing Legacy
During this time period, there were several civilizations with their own culture. Famous buildings and buildings of antiquity have survived to this day. There are not so few of them, but the most striking heritage sites of the past include such as the “City in the Sky” or Machu Picchu in Peru, the Temple of Jupiter Baalbek in Lebanon, the famous Egyptian pyramids of Giza, a suburb of Cairo. The list of antiquities includes the aqueducts of the Roman Empire, the glazed windows of Alexandria dating back to the first century AD, the remains of Greek temples, the Jervan aqueduct in Iraq, and the concrete domes of Roman temples.
Civilizations close to us
Every continent is sure to have ancient sites. But for the inhabitants of Europe (in the geographical sense of the word), the Ancient World is associated primarily with Greece and Rome, with the Egyptian Cleopatra, since both Julius Caesar and Anthony loved her.
In addition, they and other ancient Roman emperors dreamed of enslaving Egypt. Russian literature and art until the beginning of the 20th century were associated with the myths of Greece and Rome. And Mediterranean civilizations are considered the cradle of humanity. Therefore, we need to start looking in more detail at the famous structures and buildings of antiquity with Greece and Rome.
Acropolis - the pearl of world architecture
In Greece there are a lot of monuments dating back to prehistoric times, and the entire country is dotted with the ruins of ancient Greek palaces and places of worship. It is quite difficult to count them, but there are objects that are considered symbols of the Ancient World. The most important of them is the Acropolis, located in the continental part of the country in the city of Athens. This is a kind of fortress, standing on a hill, the height of which reaches 156 meters in height, its width is 300 m, and its length is 170. This is a well-fortified upper city, towering over the unprotected lower one. The Acropolis was the place where the temples of the gods, the patrons of this city, were located; residents could hide in it during the war. The majestic Acropolis of Athens is its history well studied.
Parthenon - the dominant feature of the Acropolis
It should be noted that sculptures and statues from this Acropolis are in many museums around the world. It houses 21 objects, the most significant of which is the Parthenon - the calling card of not only Greece, but the entire Ancient World.
Listed as one of the World's Greatest Temples, it was built on the foundations of an older temple in the 5th century BC by the architects Callicrates and Ictinus. He dominates the entire area. This ideal, harmonious structure is rich in unique features. But dozens of books have been written about every smallest detail. The only thing that can be noted is that it is surrounded all along the perimeter by columns (this form is called a peripter). This is what makes the temple irresistibly beautiful.
Athens - a treasure trove of ancient architecture
Other buildings of Ancient Greece on the territory of the sacred center of the Acropolis are represented by such temples as the Erechtheion, dedicated to the legendary Athenian king Erechtheus, the Areopagus (authority), and the temple of Athena Nike. Throughout the capital there are ruins of many other temples, since the whole of Greece is an open-air museum of ancient culture. These are the temples of Olympian Zeus, Nike Aptera, Apollo in Delphi, Poseidon at Cape Sounion, Hera on the Peloponnese peninsula, and Demeter at Eleusis. These are the most famous structures and buildings of antiquity created in Greece.
Priority of religious buildings
In a later period, one of the first meteorological structures was built in Athens - the Tower of the Winds, 12 meters high, with a base diameter of 8 m. The parameters of these ancient museums are perfect, they underlie all architecture and are studied by all architects of the world.
Of all the above-mentioned ancient objects, only the Areopagus is an administrative building, all the rest are places of worship. The largest sanctuary is Olympia, which is located on the Peloponnese peninsula. The cult of Zeus reigned in it.
The main visiting card of Rome
The Great Roman Empire is the oldest civilization in the Mediterranean, emerging from Ancient Greece. According to legend, the direct descendants of Aeneas, the hero of the Trojan War, the brothers Remus and Romulus, suckled by a she-wolf, founded Rome and the greatest empire that gave the world a great culture.
The buildings of ancient Rome in this article are presented by 10 greatest architectural examples, with which many inhabitants of the Earth are familiar, even those who are far from learned. Who doesn’t know the Colosseum - the main symbol of Rome? A half-destroyed three-tiered outer wall surrounds the oval arena. In ancient times, the total number of arches on the wall was 240, 80 of them were in the lower tier. In the arches of the first and second floors there were sculptures - the work of the best masters of Rome.
The brightest and most characteristic
The Appian Way is also familiar to many, because they know about the sad death of Spartacus’s companions, chained alive to the pillars located along it, from school. And the final shots of the cult American film touched film lovers in many countries around the world.
The famous buildings and structures of antiquity located in the ancient capital are worthily represented by the Roman Forum, which already during the reign of Tarquicius the Proud became the center of the political, cultural and religious life of the Roman Empire. Here are the temples of Vesta, Vespasian and Saturn. Each of them is associated with tragic or happy pages of ancient history. The perfectly preserved Trajan Column dates back to the beginning of the 2nd century AD. 185 steps located inside lead to the observation deck located at the 38th height. The sculptor Apollodorus of Damascus erected it in 114. It symbolizes the victory over the Dacians.
Next on the list
The Roman Pantheon is unique - the temple of all gods. Built in 126 AD, it dominates the Piazza della Rotonda.
You can find out what the famous structures and buildings of antiquity looked like by looking at the marble Arc de Triomphe of Titus. This oldest building was erected in 81 in honor of the capture of Jerusalem. The arch rises above Via Sacra. Single-span, it has a height of 15.4 meters, a width of 13.5 m, a span depth of about 5 meters, its width is 5.33 meters. Any chariot, including a quadriga, could enter such a gate. Bas-reliefs depicting Titus with trophies have been preserved. The Jewish temple was completely destroyed by him, and the victors got its main shrine - the minor. All this can be seen on the bas-relief.
Famous Roman baths and unique temples
The list of masterpieces of ancient Roman architecture continues. Where did this name come from? Caracalla is the nickname of someone who lived in the 3rd century AD. Ancient Roman baths are a special world where the elite of society had fun, played sports, had intellectual disputes, and concluded contracts. The surroundings matched: the walls and the font itself were made of the best varieties of marble, there were sculptures everywhere, including a statue of Apollo Belvedere.
The seventh line in the list of “Architectural structures of Ancient Rome” is occupied by a composition of two temples of different configurations - rectangular and round. These temples were erected in honor of Portunus (patron of ports) and Hercules. They are located on the left bank of the Tiber, in the very place where ships used to moor.
Mausoleum and catacombs
At number eight is the Campus Martius - the left bank part of Rome. Next to it is the Mausoleum of Hadrian - an architectural monument-tomb for the imperial family. On a square pedestal with a side equal to 84 meters, there is a cylinder with a diameter of 64 meters, topped with a statue of the emperor in the image of the Sun God, driving a quadriga (a team of 4 horses). This huge structure was not used for its intended purpose; it became a strategic object.
Last on the list of the most important architectural masterpieces of the Roman Empire are the famous Catacombs. This is a network of buildings (60 in total), interconnected and intended for burials (about 750,000 burials), with a total length of 170 km. Most of them stretch along the Appian Way.
Masterpieces of the East
The greats of the world are worthily complemented by another grandiose monument. This is the Great Wall of China, the length of which from edge to edge is 21,196 kilometers. Built by one fifth (exactly one million) of the country's population in the 3rd century BC, it clearly defined the borders of the state and made China impregnable. This is a unique ancient monument. What about the pagodas and Buddhist monasteries of India? These are also monuments of the ancient past.
The first Russian pearls of architecture
All of the above, like the buildings of Ancient Rus', belong to the great world heritage. Only our civilization is young compared to others. The architecture of Novgorod, Pskov and Kyiv is considered the most ancient in our country, where from 989 to 996 the Church of the Tithes was erected, destroyed by Batu.
The next oldest architectural monument of Kievan Rus, by our standards, is the Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernigov, which is well preserved to this day, followed by the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. The first cross-domed structures were always based on a cross, and the temple was crowned with a dome. Such churches are the main type of ancient religious buildings in Rus'.
Byzantine masters and their creations
The first stone churches were built by masters invited from Byzantium. Russian religious buildings did not blindly repeat Byzantine architecture. Our churches have a strong personality. Yaroslav the Wise took up construction actively and on a grand scale. He, concerned that a huge country had just adopted a new religion, wanted to approve it with the grandiose construction of temples. The largest, which at that time had no analogues anywhere, even in Byzantium, was the 5-nave, 13-domed building built in 1017.
Triumph of Orthodoxy
It was followed by the St. Sophia cathedrals of Novgorod (1045-1050) and Polotsk (1060). They were also considered 5-nave, although most Russian churches are 3-nave. The dome was supported by internal pillars - hence the names: 4-, 6-, or even 8-pillars.
The Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra was built by specially invited Greeks in 1073-1079. This temple, called the “Great Church,” became a model for buildings being built throughout. Such religious buildings as the Vydubetsky Monastery in Kyiv (1070-1081), Spas-on-Berest (1113-1125) belong to a new type of cathedral, since they all had an extension (nartesque) with a staircase. The most ancient temples had no vestibules at all.
From the moment of the construction boom launched by Yaroslav the Wise, all the Grand Dukes were engaged in active urban planning. In addition to architectural monuments, masterpieces of applied art and literature were left to descendants. The Tale of Bygone Years was first mentioned in 852.
