Let’s face it. We are not Europe. Or China. Or India.
Take this. The oldest building in the world is in a place called Göbekli Tepe. This can be found in an archaeological site in Turkey that dates back to 9500–8000 BCE. It’s a temple featuring massive stone pillars arranged in circles. Imagine this building, with people constructing it, 9,000 years before Christ was even born.
But here in America, the good old United States, things are a little different. The oldest building here?
Well, those would be the Pueblo Dwellings in New Mexico, which have only been around since 750 AD.
That’s only about 1,300 years old, as opposed to the Turkey site, which is 11,500 years old.
We are some Spring Chickens here.
The oldest building still standing that was built by white settlers is the Palace of the Governors in New Mexico, which dates back to 1610.
(I should note: There are several different sources on this, but most cite these two places with distinction.)
Anyway.
While many indigenous people built settlements and communities, those places no longer exist as themselves. Yet, the early white man cities are still around.
The ten oldest cities in the United States are:
St. Augustine, Florida (1565)
Jamestown, Virginia (1607)
Santa Fe, New Mexico (1607)
Hampton, Virginia (1610)
Kecoughtan, Virginia (1610)
Newport News, Virginia (1613)
Albany, New York (1614)
Jersey City, New Jersey (1617)
Plymouth, Massachusetts (1620)
Weymouth, Massachusetts (1622)
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Here is a brief description about them, if you are interested.
Otherwise, skip on down below.
St. Augustine, Florida (1565) – Founded by Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the United States.
Jamestown, Virginia (1607) – Established as the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Santa Fe, New Mexico (1607) – Santa Fe holds the distinction of being the oldest state capital in the U.S. as well as New Mexico’s oldest city.
Hampton, Virginia (1610) – Founded as Kecoughtan, it’s one of the oldest continuously inhabited English settlements in the United States.
Kecoughtan, Virginia (1610) – Established as one of the earliest settlements in Virginia, Kecoughtan merged with Elizabeth City County in 1928.
Albany, New York (1614) – Founded as a fur trading post by the Dutch, Albany is the capital of New York.
Jersey City, New Jersey (1617) – Founded by the Dutch as a trading post, Jersey City is the second-most populous city in New Jersey.
Plymouth, Massachusetts (1620) – Famous for being the landing site of the Pilgrims, Plymouth is a historic town known for its recreation of 17th-century life.
Weymouth, Massachusetts (1622) – One of the oldest settlements in Massachusetts, Weymouth played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War.
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And this would be “on down below.”
So, back to it.
We are young compared to the rest of the world. Except for Canada.
Why? Because we are the furthest away by migration from the center of life’s beginnings.
Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 2 million and 6 million years ago come entirely from Africa.
Most scientists currently recognize some 15 to 20 different species of early humans.
Incredibly, I think.
And. While it is unclear when some modern humans first left Africa, evidence shows that these modern humans did not leave Africa until between 60,000 and 90,000 years ago.
What I’m getting to is this. It took a long time for those humans to walk their way around the planet and find North America.
But here we are. We should be glad for our wonderful place here in this world, but at the same time, we should never forget where we came from.
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“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
– Marcus Garvey
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“Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect.”
– Albert Einstein
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“You cannot hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree.”
– African Proverb
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We are a long way from home, it seems.
