The Van Buren press., 1897-07-03
ANCIENT CITIES
The Oldest in America, Europe "h'
Asia.


Asia.
Chicago is by far the youngest city
If its size on the globe. 1t can clam an
existence of but 80 years at most, count
ING from the year 1901, when the gov
arr rnent established fort on the bank
Il the Chicago river. This military
most was called Fort Dearborn ana
formed The nucleus of the future town
Bnt for the first 30 years or SO after
the building of the fort lew sinai
frame houses and a tavern were al
there was of Chicago.
Even the city o. Washington is older
than Chicago. The eepital city may be
said to date from the year 1900, when
the seat of government Was moved
there from Philadelphia, making it ~
Gears of age. Detroit is much Older than
either of these. On our next birthday,
the 9th of July, the existence OF Detroit
will have extended through 1856 years.
\ number of cities along the eastern
seaboard are still older. Philadelphia
is PA years old, Boston is 267 and New
York PA. Few American cities can
claim greater age than these, the two
most notable exceptions being Santa
Fe and St. Augustine. The former is
SIS years Of age and the latter, dis
tinguished as the oldest city in America,
is 332 years old.
But. old as they may seem, the greater
number of the large cities of Europe
and Asia are much older. st. Peters
burg is the one exception, having been
founded by Peter the Great in 1908,
and is consequently but 194 years of
age. Venice was first settled in 452,
LAS years ago, by fugitives from Padua,
who sought refuge among the swamps
and norasses of the Adriatie from At
tilla. THE Seourge of Cod and his
horde of barbarian Huns.
Both London and Paris date from
still earlier times. 1t is over 1850 years
since Caesar visited them and brought
them under the worldwide dominion
of Rome. But at that time they were
nothing more than little collections OF
mud huts inhabited by rude and UNI
civilized Britons and Gauls.
The CITY of Marseilles, ON the south
ern coast Of France, has been in exist
enee 2,497 years. 1t was founded by a
colony of Greeks when Rome, the flu
| ture conuueror of both it and Greece
was nothing but a tiny village with
Il rule extending but few miles into
the country Immediately surrounding
it, Rome is about 1850 years old. OF
all the cities that were in existence
when it began, and still retain then
places on the maps, Rome is the mosi
hourishing and best preserved 1t has
gone through so many wars, sieges end
captures without being destroyed thai
it is called .The Eternal City"
But Rome is by no means the oldest
city on the globe, or even in Europe
Athens, the capital of Greece, is about
3.453 years old older than any Other
European city. Tangier, in Morocco
is probably over 2.700 years of age, hav
ing been founded by the Phoenieian'
about the time they colonized Carthage
and other neighboring sites. Alex
ander. in Egypt, is not so old, its age
being 2,229 years. 1t was founded by
Alexander the Great, from whom i
received its name.
Several Asiatic towns are credited
with continuous eXistences covering
longer periods than those of Europe o
any other partof the world. Picking, tn
capital of China, is said TO be abou
5000 years old or more. Jerusalem
which was a Jebusite city in the day
of Abraham, is $500 years old at least
But there is one other city, and prob
ably only one, that surpasses ever
Jerusalem in antiquity. This is Da
mascus. city in Syria, once famou
for its manufacture of silks, jewelry an
arms. A Damascus blade was priced a
, superior to all others. They are II
, longer made, the method by which III
; lrmorers of Damascus tempered tn
: steel being one of the lost arts. Da
mascus contains between 100000 an
200, 900 inhabitants, who carry on con
siderable business with the surround
ing country by means of caravans
Their bazars are numerous and in
teresting. The exact date of the found
ing of Damascus is not known, but
is said to have been begun by great
: grandson of Noah. 1t is probably APO
years old at any rate, and the oldes
city in the world.-Detroit Free Press