TEHRAN -- It is believed that Egypt, Iraq, Persia, and Greece are the oldest countries and civilizations in the world. The names of these territories are mentioned in historical documents that date back to several thousand years.

 

1-Egypt

Egypt’s founding years can be traced back to around 6000 BCE, when various groups of hunter–gatherers settled in the Nile River Valley. Egypt’s first dynasty is dated c.3100 BCE. Around this time period, Upper and Lower Egypt were unified into a single kingdom by King Menes – Menes is actually the Egyptian word for founder and many historians believe that the founder of Egypt was a ruler named Narmer. This makes Egypt the oldest country in the world.

King Narmer was able to establish control over the entire navigable length of the Nile and established the capital in Memphis, a city near modern-day Cairo. This first dynasty was the first of a series of dynasties that would go on to rule over Egypt for the next three millennia until it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE.

 

2-Iraq

Ruled by several empires, Iraq also known as the “Cradle of Civilization” is home to remains that date as far back as an estimated 700,000 years ago. Mesopotamia is cited as the oldest consistently settled region on the planet where remnants of human settlements dating back to 50,000 B.C can be found. Thanks to these findings, Iraq ranks high as the oldest country in the world.

 

3-China 

China was established under the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), over 3,000 years ago. In this highly populated country, with more than a billion people from many ethnic groups, the most present is the Han people with 91.6%.

This Asian country is known for its famous Great Wall, which was not a one-off construction. It was first established as a defensive barrier during the Warring States period (475-221 BC). 

Archaeologists believe that early hominids inhabited the country 2.25 million years ago. The hominid fossils of Peking Man, a Homo erectus who used fire, were discovered in a cave at Zhoukoudian near Beijing, the Capital City of the Republic of China.

 

4-Iran 

Ancient Iran, which was fondly known as Persia in the Western world until 1935, was founded around 550 BCE under the Achaemenid Empire.

Before the rise of the Persian Empire, several groups of people lived in the area that would later become Iran – this included the Elamites, who were a pre-Iranian civilization that settled in the far West and Southwest region of modern-day Iran and the Medes, who had control of most of Iran until the Persians stepped in.

The iconic leader “Cyrus the Great” established the Persian Empire around 550 BCE after he conquered the Median, Lydian, and Babylonian empires and gained control of Iran. The Achaemenid Empire ruled Iran until Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire in 330 BCE. 

 

5-Greece

Greece’s history spans over 2500 years, with the first mentions of the country occurring in around 800 BCE.

The Archaic period of Greece is regarded as one of the country’s most prominent time periods as it laid the foundations for Greek’s Classical period, which is known for establishing the foundations of modern Western civilization. 

At that time, the Greeks made advances in art, poetry, and technology, but the most important thing to be invented during this time period was the polis, or city-state.  Also during this time period, the Greek alphabet was developed as well as the earliest institutions of democracy.