What is earth's oldest civliization

[Bella-Angelique]

I think a lot of people believe that the oldest civlization on earth has been determined, when the reality is that it is still very much open to debate.

I was curious as to which one that is known about so far at this point in time is suspected as being the oldest by UM members and would enjoying reading any information pieces anyone has on this topic.

To me this is truly one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of them all.

[Leonardo]

Bella,

I have used this

3: a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)

source

description of 'civilisation'. to provide my response. In this regard I hold the Mesopotamian civilisation in Iraq to be the earliest reliably dated. There were earlier cultures and if a different interpretation of civilisation is used they would be considered.

Do you agree with the interpretation of civilisation as I posted or would you prefer to refine this?

[Bella-Angelique]

Do you agree with the interpretation of civilisation as I posted or would you prefer to refine this?

I think it is just fine and I am open to different views also.

The choices I picked to choose from are ones that I have heard or read different scholars choose for different reasons, such as Iran because of its mines.

I myself picked Mesopotamia also for the classical reasons.

[Wiccanboy]

Hi!

I'm new here and i thought i'd better start interacting with people!

Personally, i think Iraq is the oldest, purely from what i've read and come across.

[Leonardo]

Hi, Wiccanboy

Welcome to UM and have fun posting.

[Lord Umbarger]

Welcome WiccanBoy. Have fun here.

I wouldn't say that "Iraq" or Iran" are the oldest civilization, but I would be more comfortable with saying that they could be the SITE of the oldest civilization.

Of course, there are those who claim to have evidence of even older stuff going on in prehistory but, are not commonly accepted by modern science.

[louie]

Id say there were tribes in south america that predated the Olmecs, and go further back than we know

[Bella-Angelique]

Id say there were tribes in south america that predated the Olmecs, and go further back than we know

I think the way that one scholar did his dating by the positionings of the buildings was pretty convincing. I think many believe Tiahuanaco is older than Jericho.

[Eu_citzen]

Hi!

I'm new here and i thought i'd better start interacting with people!

Personally, i think Iraq is the oldest, purely from what i've read and come across.

Welcome, hope you enyoj your stay!

If I remember right there was an test made and tehy treid to tell from where we humans come from, and there result was afrika. So I'd guess egypt. (read it on a science magazine)

but I'm not sure.

[Bella-Angelique]

If I remember right there was an test made and tehy tried to tell from where we humans come from, and there result was afrika.

Genetics is as good a source to site as any other to me. I have wondered about the bottle neck of human genetics and if this indicated that a civilization existed at that time that was advanced enough to help them survive by storing food in large amounts successfully.

Edited November 15, 2006 by Bella-Angelique

[unkletae]

how about the lost civilization off coast of india???

Carbon dating of one of the wooden samples has dated the site to around 7500 BC

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1808

[Aticus]

I would have to say India because of the manmade bridge recently discovered that connects Sri Lanka and India.

Check it out:

The bridge's unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is manmade.

Legend as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of

human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the primitive age, about 1,750,000

years ago and the bridge's age is also almost equivalent.

[Chauncy]

Antarctica may conceal the oldest civilization. With the progression of global warming we may be able prove this

http://www.prep.mcneese.edu/engr/engr321/preis/piri_r~1.htm

[Aticus]

Antarctica may conceal the oldest civilization. With the progression of global warming we may be able prove this

http://www.prep.mcneese.edu/engr/engr321/preis/piri_r~1.htm

Now that I think about it, there may well be civilizations from 3 billion years ago in earth.

A metallic sphere from South Africa with three parallel grooves around its equator (photo courtesy of Roelf Marx). The sphere was found in a Precambrian mineral deposit, said to be 2.8 billion years old. [p. 813, Forbidden Archeology]

[Raptor]

Now that I think about it, there may well be civilizations from 3 billion years ago in earth.

A metallic sphere from South Africa with three parallel grooves around its equator (photo courtesy of Roelf Marx). The sphere was found in a Precambrian mineral deposit, said to be 2.8 billion years old. [p. 813, Forbidden Archeology]

Wouldn't it make more sense to say that this ball could be a hoax, rather than to say that dozens of fields of science are outright wrong? Especially seeing as it's pretty much the only piece of 'evidence' to support your theory.

I would have to say India because of the manmade bridge recently discovered that connects Sri Lanka and India.

Check it out:

http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/Ancient....anka.bridge.jpg

The bridge's unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is manmade.

Legend as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of

human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the primitive age, about 1,750,000

years ago and the bridge's age is also almost equivalent.

Rama's Bridge is 3,500 years old.

You say it's man made and 1,750,000 years old; that's over 10 times older than the entire Homo S. Sapien species!

Edited December 1, 2006 by Raptor X7

[Chauncy]

A metallic sphere from South Africa with three parallel grooves around its equator (photo courtesy of Roelf Marx). The sphere was found in a Precambrian mineral deposit, said to be 2.8 billion years old. [p. 813, Forbidden Archeology]

Its an OOPart: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OOPArt

"such as the Antikythera mechanism, have forced scientists to reassess the technology of ancient civilization, critics regard most cases of OOPArt as the result of mistaken interpretation or wishful thinking. Supporters regard them as evidence that mainstream science is overlooking huge areas of knowledge, either willfully or through ignorance."

http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa072098.htm

http://www.earth-house.com/Green_Homes/Mys...ts/ooparts.html

In our relatively modern history mankind has witnessed the rise and fall of many great civilizations, the remnants of which we can still visit and marvel in these ancient achievments.

I can't help but wonder how many great civilizations existed undocumented?

How many civilizations existed and were wiped out by some great cataclysm....and are now buried deep beneath the history of our post cataclysmic empires.

[ShaunZero]

You say it's man made and 1,750,000 years old; that's over 10 times older than the entire Homo S. Sapien species!

That does not make it impossible. It makes it a mystery and something to ponder. Perhaps humans were around longer than we thought? If this is indeed a man made bridge which is actually the age stated above, then it is evidence of some sort of intelligence similar to that of a human existing back then. Instead of ignoring it because it "doesn't agree with current knowledge", we need to look further into it.

[Raptor]

That does not make it impossible. It makes it a mystery and something to ponder. Perhaps humans were around longer than we thought? If this is indeed a man made bridge which is actually the age stated above, then it is evidence of some sort of intelligence similar to that of a human existing back then. Instead of ignoring it because it "doesn't agree with current knowledge", we need to look further into it.

I agree with your idea, but;

Rama's Bridge is 3,500 years old.

[mystery dude]

How many civilizations existed and were wiped out by some great cataclysm....and are now buried deep beneath the history of our post cataclysmic empires.

Mabey something like "Atlants" or the island "Mu" could have been the cradle of civillization.......(if they existead)

[Symbol]

Wasn't it the Phoenicians?

[cheo_vl]

THE OLDEST CIVILIZATION WAS THE SUMERIAN. was it the first? probably not, but until we have some hard evidence of the existence of some other civilization, the sumerians are the oldest. maybe someday we will find proof that avalon, atlantis or lemuria existed, but until we do the sumerians are the oldest

[speshall mareens]

the oldest civilization was alteast in the middle east where animals were domesticated and farms were cultivated. but in order for it to be a civilization, it must have a stable food source, a language, a govermant of some sort, currency of a sort, and some sort of comerce or trade.

[Conspiracy]

Wouldn't it make more sense to say that this ball could be a hoax, rather than to say that dozens of fields of science are outright wrong? Especially seeing as it's pretty much the only piece of 'evidence' to support your theory.

3 billion years leaves a large gap, any signs of a civilization would be long gone by now

[speshall mareens]

Antarctica may conceal the oldest civilization. With the progression of global warming we may be able prove this

http://www.prep.mcneese.edu/engr/engr321/preis/piri_r~1.htm

surely you jest?!!antartica has been cold ever sense mammals took over the planet and dinosaurs died. and itt was STILL cold in the winter in the cretaceouse. so by te itme of, o say, working-man, the first to use stone tools and have a possiblelanguage though doubted, antarctica would be plenty cold and hard for early man to get a start there. now i am NOT sayin thatworking-man (for got name) had the first civilization. i am saying that even at that point antarctica was NOT the first civiliztion.in fact WE still haven't colonized it.