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The trick in this question is in the definition of civilization. If you consider the hunter cultures of the Upper Palaeolithicum, you wuld have to talk about sites that are 400.000 years old. If you consider the earliest civilization a culture with fixed settlements, you would have to look for Neolithic sites, and then you would be talking about c. 10.000 years. The earliest larger settlements (with more than 1000 inhabitants) were found in Anatolia, Turkey, and between the Euphrat and Tigris rivers in today's Iraq. Which way do you want to have it?
Western Scientists are giving examples of Mesopatamia, Armenian highlands, Egyptian, Babylon ...etc.
However there are no concrete evidences available to prove the datings of the civilizations and on top of everything ; No evidences in terms of literature to validate the chain and links with any such civilization with currently existing races.
In south asia, mohanjodro and harappa also carbon dated back 3000BC, however there are no links found.
Eventually these races existed long back but left with very discrete evidences about their knowledge pool and gowth patterns. Also if we go for hard evidences then we cannot found any such civilization evidence prior to 4000-5000BC that's a strange element.
Indian civilization may not give many hard evidences (as all the places are densely populated since from ancient times) about it's datings but there are many soft evidences in terms of literature and ancient epics/stories. even hard evidences are available till 2000BC in form of various indian kings ruling across the ancient india from East to afghan and kashmir to srilanka (see the stories of gupt/chol vansh).
sanskrit is key source of information and it's a strange that a Language is surviving from last known 2000BC and said to be core language in which Ramayan and mahabharat were written originally (various theories on aging for these epics).
However a complete language is existing from last 4000 known years and is more strong in vocubulary and assent then any other language in the world.
That itself gives an evidence that India has solution to this mystery, all it needs to be researched.
As Giza Pyramids in egypt were researched by an Franchman scientist and he discovered many things and hide whatever was against church in 1820 (Due to instructions by french authorities)....so if we research with open mind then can get the correct answers.
SandeepM
First we have to define 'civilisation", and to me that means a society that is governed according to laws and traditions. The pet 'oldest' civilisation of historians is the Indus Valley Culture, mainly because there is bricks-and-mortar evidence of its existence.
In Australia, the natives (whose origins are traceable to Indonesia) seem to have been here for about 60,000 years, have a language group comprising a larger vocabulary than English, have a system of traditional laws, and a distinctive traditional art style but never got around to inventing the wheel.
We can never know when the first civilisation existed, or even if it was human-based. Merkats and gorilla tribes live by rules and traditions. Neanderthals did too. Where do you want to draw the line?
sumerians
Near the Nile (at Egypt) , they were called Ancient Egyptians not Pharaohs
Pharaohs were the people who ruled Egypt (kings)
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You're reading Where was the oldest civilization found & what was its name?
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As always good answer in "Nick" of time.
by FrndfmIndia on February 3rd, 2008
Thanks again! Imagine that the brains of man has not changed significantly since at least 40.000 years (if 100 years is 4 generations, that is just 1600 generations, which is not very much - you could easily imagine to be in the same concert hall with even more people). So, I think there is no reason to doubt the fact that thought processes, religious and philosophical ideas, humour, etc. have been on the same level 40.000 years before our time. The so-called Palaeolithic cultures (Old Stone age) were highly specialzed hunter cultures, comparable to the Inuit before their contact with Europeans/Americans.
by Nick on February 3rd, 2008
"Civilisation" is derived from "civis" meaning city. It is reasonable therefore to define "civilisation" as a culture complex enough to produce cities. Some believe that the oldest city discovered is Ur http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur in modern Iraq.
by Im Alec has abandoned this account on October 27th, 2011