The Oldest Countries and Nations in the World

Over the millennia, countless nations and countries have arisen and disappeared into the annals of history, but some have stuck around. Itթ§Չ-Չ§s impossible to say absolutely which have been around longest, but here, for various reasons, are ten of the oldest.

Greece

Greece as we know itթԹ hasnթ§Չ-Չ§t been around for that long in the grand scheme of things, but Greek civilization basically taught the world the meaning of the word թ§Չ-խancient.թ§Չ-Չ§ Europeթ§Չ-Չ§s first advanced civilizations sprouted up in Greece aroundթԹ 3200 BCE, and Athens would see the worldթ§Չ-Չ§s first democratic system in 508 BCE. Ancient Greek still remains more comprehensible to Modern Greek speakers than Old English does to English speakers, and numerous moments in Greek history have made their way into general Western knowledge and life թ§Չ-Չ take the ancient Olympics, for example, or the Battle at Marathon, which inspired the mileage of the modern day long distance race. You might also like this update on Athenian fashionթԹ and a look at sports that should be in the Olympics.

Greece Fort թԹ. Pixabay

China

China, one of the great cradles of civilization, has always been united. The first dynasty թ§Չ-Չ once thought to be completely mythicalթ§Չ-Չ was more recently bolstered by excavations that found the remains of Bronze Age settlements. The first dynasty that boasted a writing system, which is a direct ancestor ofթԹ modern Chinese writing, the Shang Dynasty ruled from the 17th to the 11th century BCE. The Han Dynasty, which lasted from 206 BCE to 220 CE, strengthened Chinaթ§Չ-Չ§s united character and laid the foundation for cultural elementsթԹ that are still important in China today, like Confucianism. You might also like to know what the cast and crew ofթԹ Great WallթԹ though about filming in China, what to expect from the first Gallery Weekend BeijingթԹ and why Li Bai and Du Fu are still Chinaթ§Չ-Չ§s most popular poets.

Portugal

While the founding date of 1139 doesnթ§Չ-Չ§t exactly place Portugal among the ranks of ancient civilizations, it deserves a place on this list because of the stability of its borders. It was founded as a kingdom in 1139. As the rest of Europe has shuffled through ever-changing borders with various monarchs, empires, republics, and peopleթ§Չ-Չ§s democracies, Portugal has remained Portugal. In case you need more convincing, Portugal was also at the forefront ofթԹ the Age of Discovery. Though that time was imperialistic and detrimental to aboriginal societies, it contributedթԹ substantially to creating the world we know today.

France

Whether you traceթԹ Franceթ§Չ-խs founding back toթԹ the division of Charlemagneթ§Չ-Չ§s Holy Roman Empire (թ§Չ-խFranciaթ§Չ-Չ§) into three parts in 843, or King Clovisթ§Չ-Չ§s accession to the throne in 481 AD, it is undeniable that the country has existed for a long time. And while for centuries the feudal system granted greater power to vassals than to the actual king (the Duke of Normandyթ§Չ-Չ§s conquest of England in 1066 is the perfect example), the nobles were still, nominally at least, subjects of the French monarchy, laying the foundations for a state that has survived until now. You might alsoթԹ be interested to know which controversial films were banned in France.

Armenia

Much like the Jewish people, Armenia is a nation well known for its great diaspora. Nonetheless, the Armenians have possessed a country for most of the last 2600 years, with the first mentions of ArmeniaթԹ occurring in the 6th century BCE. Yerevan, now the capital of Armenia, was founded as far back as 782 BCE. The Armenians were also the first state to officially accept Christianity as a state religion in 301, and the country still adheres very strongly to their own Armenian Apostolic Church. Besides the diaspora, another unfortunate similarity that the Armenians share with the Jews was a genocide perpetrated against them at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915-16.

Japan

JapanթԹ claims it was founded inթԹ 660 BCE by theթԹ (most likely mythical) Emperor Jimmu. A Chinese chronicle attests to Japanթ§Չ-Չ§s existence in the 3rd century CE, which still gives the country some serious staying power. Buddhism spread to Japan soon after that, and the nation was already developing a literary tradition in the 8th century, which culminated with the writing ofթԹ The Tale of GenjiթԹ in the early 11th century. The period that saw this development, the Heian period from 794-1185, also saw numerous other cultural traits appear that still define Japan today. You might also like to know how these amazingly creative homes show Japanese design at its finest.

Iran

While Iran has only existed in a recognizable form since the beginning of the 16th century, the area has a longer history of civilization than almost anywhere in the world. The Bronze Age Elamite civilization was one of the first to develop cuneiform writing in the 3rd millennium BCE, and Proto-Iranian groups were already arriving in the area in the 2nd millennium BCE. The Achaemenid Empire, which existed from 550-330 BCE, was the biggest empire that the world had ever seen. It gained independence as a Shia Islamic state in 1501, although much has changed in its governance since then. You might also be interested in why an Iranian horror film terrified critics.

San Marino

San Marino, as the third smallest country in Europe, is certainly an outlier on this list for various reasons. It is, however, undeniably one of the oldest countries in the world, as it was foundedթԹ in 301 CE. A stonemason, Marinus, who would eventually become Saint Marinus, came from his home in what is now Croatia to escape persecution for his Christian beliefs and founded the country as a republic. Its Statute of 1600, which functions as a de facto constitution in a country that doesnթ§Չ-Չ§t officially have one, was the first such document in the world. While San Marino is fairly unique now as a microstate, it reflects a long tradition of small city-states inթԹ Europe.

Ethiopia

Going further back than nations and countries, some of the oldest hominid fossils have been found in Ethiopia. The country hasթԹ had various monarchies since the 2nd millennium BCE. Importantly, Ethiopia was the only African country never colonized by a European country, as they were able to defeat all invading forces. When the League of Nations, the interwar predecessor to the United Nations, was formed after WWI, Ethiopia was the only independent African member. Ethiopia has always been a highly diverse, multi-ethnic state, and this also extends to its religion. The Kingdom of Aksum was one of the first countries after Armenia to accept Christianity, but there are also long histories of Muslims and Jews in the country.

Egypt

Although ancient Egypt as a culture has very few similarities with the Egypt of today, the first cultures that resembled the early Egyptian dynasties began to form as far back as the 6th millennium BCE. Egyptian hieroglyphs, the worldթ§Չ-Չ§s second oldest writing system after cuneiform, appeared around 3200 BCE, and King Menes formed the first unified kingdom around 3150 BCE. Thirty dynasties later, Egypt came under first Persian and then Greek rule. It came under the rule of the Islamic Caliphate soon after, and it has remained a majority Muslim nation ever since. The modern state of Egypt did not appear until the 20th century, when the Egyptians finally threw off British rule in 1952. You might also be interested to read about a recent archaeological find in Cairo dubbed թ§Չ-խthe discovery of the centuryթ§Չ-խ.

: Egypt թԹ. Pixabay

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