Cities that have remained important for the longest times

[magritte]

The thread about formerly important places got me thinking about places that were important cities in the ancient world and are still important today.
Some of the obvious ones are Rome, Athens, Istanbul, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. Damascus is even older. I'm not as familiar with Chinese or Indian archeology though--are there rivals? Am I missing something obvious?

[Yoda Power]

I think Rome is the city thats been important for the longest period of time without breaks. Though Athens, Jerusalem and others were important before Rome, they had a break in time when they weren't important.

China and India have often had changing capitals, so I don't really think that there is any good candidates there.

[IamSid]

Jerusalem was never not important to the Jews and the Christians.So Jerusalem I say!

[Israelite9191]

Jerusalem! Also Mecca, can;t think of any others right now, but will work on it.

[EdwardTking]

Jerusalem > Rome > Athens > Byzantium > London > Mecca > Paris > Vienna

[Luv_Muffin]

Mexico City. 18 million people can't be wrong.

[Louis XXIV]

Isn't Mexico city located on the capital of the Aztecs? You might have a case there.

[CrazyMrLeo]

Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325. Not eactly ancient.

[lobster]

Guangzhou has been an important international trade port since like 100 BC, although it's politically less important.

Beijing has been around for like 2500 years, but have been the capital for only about 800 years.

[Nobody]

Bagdad, pretty important in the old days, always on the news now

[RoboPig]

delhi area, been important since the mughals and before

[Xen]

Rome; jeruslam cant compaire as it languished for very long periods from the tiem of the Egyptian hegemony over the region righ up to the Roman conquest and beyond; more or less, whil eits been important Jew, Christians and musliam, for a very long time none of those denominations were very large, and the christians themselves can be argued to have actually favored Rome as a realistic center of importance, and Jersulem as a center of the spirit- important, but not as important as where the seat of the church was staying.

By contrast from Romes earliest days its strategic importance made it well known amounst the natives of the itallic peninisula, and its gradual domination fo first italy, and then the western world assured it so; its transfer to the seat of the Papal "christian monarchy" so to speak has so ensured its continuous importance for about 2,600 years.

[Kyriakos]

Thessalonike (Thessalonica/ Salonica) should be in the list too; it has continiously existed for over 2300 years, and was continiously important and populous. (capital of Macedonia after alexander the great's death, and up to conquest by Rome/two epistoles in the new testament adressed to the citizents of Thessalonike/ capital of 1/4 of the roman empire under the system of the tetrarchies/ 2nd most important city in the byzantine and ottoman empires/ a city of over 1 million people today)
It has more reason to be there than for example Constantinople, which was nothing much before the 4rth century AD.

Moreover, although it isnt that important today, i do not see how you would value importance today for a city; in globalisation it seems that most big cities are not that different from one another in current importance.

[Plotinus]

How is Jerusalem important, except in a spiritual sense?

Alexandria was important in antiquity, and is important now, but it spent a long time in the middle being not very important.

Rome probably has the best case, as it's been very important in all its history, but is less important now. It has combined political and spiritual importance in a way that few other cities have.

Much as I hate to say it, though, I'd still nominate London... It may not actually have been founded by refugees from the Trojan War, as Geoffrey of Monmouth claimed (although they do still say that Brutus, founder of London, is still buried on Tower Hill and his spirit guards the city...), but even before the Romans, Trinovantum, land of the Cockaignes, was considered the leading "civitas" in Britannia... And it's been that way ever since, while in the nineteenth century it became not only the world's greatest megalopolis but picked up the world's largest empire while it was at it. Today, London may no longer rule an empire, but it is still the destination of choice for those who were once under its sway - which is why it seems to be populated almost entirely by Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, and Nigerians today. There are more Kiwis in London than in any town in New Zealand apart from Auckland!

[Xen]

Originally Posted by Plotinus

How is Jerusalem important, except in a spiritual sense?

Alexandria was important in antiquity, and is important now, but it spent a long time in the middle being not very important.

Rome probably has the best case, as it's been very important in all its history, but is less important now. It has combined political and spiritual importance in a way that few other cities have.

Much as I hate to say it, though, I'd still nominate London... It may not actually have been founded by refugees from the Trojan War, as Geoffrey of Monmouth claimed (although they do still say that Brutus, founder of London, is still buried on Tower Hill and his spirit guards the city...), but even before the Romans, Trinovantum, land of the Cockaignes, was considered the leading "civitas" in Britannia... And it's been that way ever since, while in the nineteenth century it became not only the world's greatest megalopolis but picked up the world's largest empire while it was at it. Today, London may no longer rule an empire, but it is still the destination of choice for those who were once under its sway - which is why it seems to be populated almost entirely by Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, and Nigerians today. There are more Kiwis in London than in any town in New Zealand apart from Auckland!

I must ask how London was actually important in any fashion even in the Roman era- the provincial capital of a relitive backwater? That dosent classify as "Important" to anyone except the locals, and the Politicans in Rome, and by all accounts, neither of them number very large- London dosent really come to any particuler importance that I know of until after the Hundred years war.

[Tank_Guy#3]

Jerusalem, Washington DC (Superpower Capital of the World), or Istanbul.

Though DC has only been around for a few hundred years.

[Plotinus]

Londinium was a major city. It had the largest basilica of any northern Roman city.

Following its loss of power after the fall of Rome, London rose again to dominate the whole of Britain. By the high Middle Ages it was the premier mercantile city of northern Europe, and it's basically continued like that ever since. It was certainly important well before the Hundred Years War.

[Kyriakos]

Jerusalem didnt matter before christianity & London started to matter too late. Late middle ages are far from ancient.

Oh come on, give me your vote

[blindside]

Delhi and the various Delhis that were built on top of it.

[PrinceOfLeigh]

Originally Posted by Xen

I must ask how London was actually important in any fashion even in the Roman era- the provincial capital of a relitive backwater?

London and Britain itself wasn't just a 'relative backwater', there was plenty here the Romans wanted which is probably why most of the elite were in the country at some point. Also London comanded the Thames which was a vital logistics route for the continuing Roman Invasion.