List of the oldest buildings in the world

This article attempts to list the oldest extant freestanding buildings constructed in the world, including on each of the continents and within each country.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Building	Image	Country	Continent	First Built	Use	Notes
Megalithic Temples of Malta		Malta	Europe	3500–2500 BC	Religious Temples	Described by Colin Renfrew as "the oldest free-standing monuments in the world".[1]
Knap of Howar		Scotland	Europe	3500–3100 BC	House	Oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe[2]
Newgrange		Ireland	Europe	circa 3100 and 2900 BC	Burial	One of the oldest passage tombs in the world.[3]
Hulbjerg Jættestue		Denmark	Europe	3000 BC	Passage grave	The Hulbjerg passage grave is concealed by a round barrow on the southern tip of the island of Langeland. The walls of the 6.5m by 1.7m chamber consisting of 13 large uprights, tightly compacted with a fine wall of hewn stone tiles. When the Hulbjerg passage grave was excavated, archaeologists found the remains of 40 individuals who had been buried at different periods of the Neolithic Age. One of the skulls showed traces of the world's earliest dentistry work.[4][5]
Monte d'Accoddi		Italy	Europe	2700-2000 BC		"a trapezoidal platform on an artificial mound, reached by a sloped causeway. At one time a rectangular structure sat atop the platform... the platform dates from the Copper Age (ca. 2700-2000 B.C.), with some minor subsequent activity in the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2000-16OO B.C.). Near the mound are several standing stones, and a large limestone slab, now at the foot of the mound, may have served as an altar."[6]
Pyramid of Djoser		Egypt	Africa	2667–2648 BC	Burial	Earliest large-scale cut stone construction[7]
Caral		Peru	South America	2600 BC	Pyramid	Oldest building in South America[8]
Great Pyramid of Giza		Egypt	Africa	2650 BC	Great Tomb (Mausoleum)	Tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu
Treasury of Atreus		Greece	Europe	1250 BC	Tomb	It is formed of a semi-subterranean room of circular plan, with a corbel arch covering that is ogival in section. With an interior height of 13.5m and a diameter of 14.5m. it was the tallest and widest dome in the world for over a thousand years until construction of the Temple of Hermes in Baiae and the Pantheon in Rome. [9]
Naveta des Tudons		Spain	Europe	1200 BC	tomb	The des Tudons is the most famous megalithic chamber tomb in Minorca. It was used between 1200 and 750 BC. It is a collective tomb which contained, when it was discovered in 1975, at least 100 men and different objects like bronze bracelets or bone and ceramic buttons.[10]
The King's Grave		Sweden	Europe	1000 BC	tomb	The King's Grave near Kivik (Kungagraven i Kivik, Kiviksgraven) in the southeastern portion of the Swedish province of Skåne is what remains of an unusually grand Nordic Bronze Age double burial c. 1000 BC.[11]
Parthenon		Greece	Europe	432-447 BC	Greek temple; Dedicated to the goddess Athena	In the Acropolis of Athens
Sanchi Stupa		India	Asia	300 BC	Buddhist temple	In the village of Sanchi
Broch of Mousa		Scotland	Europe	100 BC	Broch	It is the finest preserved example of a broch or round tower in Shetland, Scotland. It is the tallest still standing in the world[12] and amongst the best-preserved prehistoric buildings in Europe.[13]It is thought to have been constructed circa 100 BC, one of 570 brochs built throughout Scotland.[14]
Maison Carrée		France	Europe	16 BC	Temple	The Maison Carrée is the only completely preserved temple of the ancient world [15]
Colosseum		Italy	Europe	70-80 AD	Big amphitheatre and gladiator battle arena	Was damaged in an earthquake
Pantheon, Rome		Italy	Europe	125 AD	Religious	Oldest standing building still in regular use.[16]
Porta Nigra		Germany	Europe	180 AD	Roman city gate	It is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps.[17]
Aula Palatina		Germany	Europe	306 AD	palace basilica	It contains the largest extant hall from antiquity, The room has a length of 67m, a width of 26.05m and a height of 33m.[18]
Ancestral Puebloan communities		United States	North America	750 AD - Pueblo construction begins in AD 750 and continues to present	Villages	Oldest standing buildings in U.S.A. Majority of settlements abandoned, but some very well preserved. Buildings have been within the U.S. since 1848, when New Mexico was annexed.
Church of Our Lady (Aarhus)		Denmark	Europe	1060 AD	Church	Built in 1060, the Crypt is the oldest ecclesiastical building in Aarhus, as well as being the oldest arched space in Scandinavia and is still functioning as a church.[19]
Tower of London		England	Europe	1078 AD	Prison	The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison since at least 1100, although that was not its primary purpose.

See also

• Oldest buildings in the United Kingdom
• List of the oldest buildings in the United States
• Oldest churches in the world
• Oldest mosques in the world
• Oldest synagogues in the world

References

1. ^ Megalithic Temples of Malta - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
2. ^ Broch of Burrian Archaeology (The Papar Project)
3. ^ O’Kelly, Michael J. 1982. Newgrange: Archaeology, Art and Legend. London: Thames and Hudson. Page 13.
4. ^ http://www.natmus.dk/sw45608.asp
5. ^ http://www.kulturarv.dk/1001fortaellinger/en_GB/hulbjerg-passage-grave
6. ^ Blake, Emma; Arthur Bernard Knapp (2004). The archaeology of Mediterranean prehistory. Wiley Blackwell. p. 117. ISBN 978-0631232681. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=F15vfrJq8LUC&pg=PA117&dq=Monte+d%27Accoddi&hl=en&ei=dsldTq7CL8Kr8APS0ezNAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=Monte%20d%27Accoddi&f=false. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
7. ^ Shaw, Ian, ed (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. p. 480. ISBN 0-19-815034-2.
8. ^ http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/AAft-Oeoc-2604101.php
9. ^ Structurae.de: Treasury of Atreus
10. ^ MenorcaWeb.com
11. ^ Bredarör i Kivik (Joakim Goldhahn, Department of Archaeology, University of Gothenburg)
12. ^ Fojut, Noel (1981)"Is Mousa a broch?" Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. 111 pp. 220-228.
13. ^ Armit (2003) p. 15.
14. ^ A History of Britain, Richard Dargie (2007), p. 16-17
15. ^ http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/provence-tourism/nimes/maison-carree-nimes.htm
16. ^ Pantheon", Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, revised December 2008
17. ^ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/367/
18. ^ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/367/
19. ^ http://www.visitaarhus.com/international/en-gb/menu/turist/om-aarhus/sevaerdigheder/soeg-sevaerdigheder/produktside/gdk002069/the-church-of-our-lady.htm?CallerUrl=1

External links

• International Architecture database