The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-07-10
ANCIENT CITIES.
The Oldest in America, Europe and
Asin.

The Oldest in America, Europe and
Asia.
Chicago is by far the youngest city
of it's size on the globe. 1t can claim an
existence of but 90 years at most, count
ing from the year 1904, when the gov
eminent established n fort on the bank
of the Chicago river. This military
post was called Fort Dearborn and
formed the nucleus of the future town.
But for the first 80 years or so after
the building of the fort a few small
frame houses and a tavern were all
there was of Chicago.
Even the city of Washington is older
than Chicago. The capital city may be
said to date from the year 1900, when
the seat of government was moved
there from Philadelphia, making it 81
years of age. Detroit is much older than
either of these. On our next birthday,
the gath of July, the existence of Detroit
will ave extended through 196 years.
A IN of cities along the eastern
seaboard are still older. Philadelphia
is PA years old, Boston is 267 and New
York 274. Few American cities can
claim greater age than these, the two
most notable exceptions being Santa
- Nh0 -" mug III ~ lhSA IL
315 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 1903,
and is consequently but 1914 years of
age. Venice was first settled in ASP,
1,445 years ago., by fugitives from Padua,
who sought refuge among the swamps
and morasses of the Adriatic from At
tilla, 1.-THE Scourge of God" 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 I'M
civilized Britons and Gauls.
The city of Marseilles, on the south
ern coast of France, has been in exist
nee 2,497 years. 1t was founded by a
colony of creeks when Rome, the flu
ture of both it and Greece,
was nothing but a tiny village with
u rule extending but a 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 their
places on h maps, Rome is the most
hourishing and best preserved. 1t has
gone through SO many wars, sieges and
captures without being destroyed that
& T. - HI gSUNI - C.l-
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 owe 2,7oo years of age, hav-
ing been founded by the P~hoenicians
about the time they colonized Carthage
and other neighboring sites. Alex
ander, in Egypt, is not so old, it's age
being 1920 years. 1t was founded by
Alexander the Great, from whom it
received it's name.
Severa Asiatic towns are credited
with continuous eXistences covering
longer periods than those of Europe or
any other part of the world. Picking, the
capital of China, is said TO be about
5000 years old or more. Jerusalem,
which wa a Jebusite city in the days
of Abraham, is 1900 years old at least.
But there is one other city, and prob
ably only one, that surpasses even
Jerusalem in antiquity. This is Da-
maseus, a city in Syria, once famous
for its manufacture of silks, jewelry and
arms. A Damascus blade was priced as
superior to all others. They are no
longer made, the method by which the
armorers of Damascus tempered the
steel being one of the lost arts. Da-
mascus contains between 100000 and
zoe, 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 it
is said to AVE been begun by a great
grandson of Noah. 1t is probably 1920
years old ut any rate, and the Oldest
city in the world.-Detroit Free Press.