5 ms·

umm, can someone explain how significant this is?

xvedejas 7y ago
At least 3 significant digits, since we know the exact year; but given we seem to know the exact day you could probably claim it's more like 5 significant digits (500.00 years).
- hajimemash 7y ago
  Brevity is the soul of wit
jariel 7y ago
These are the oldest 'Western' cities in the colonial New World. They were established just after 'contact', just as Byzantine (i.e. E. Roman Empire) finally fell to the Ottomans, at the dawn of the Reformation, before the Enlightenment ... just at the very start of the 'modern period' in Europe. To give some context, Napoleon was 100 years closer to 'our time' than he was to 'that time'. The last English king to die in battle was about this time. The French were not yet a real power. Europe's borders as we know them were just taking shape, and the 'Americas' were entirely Aboriginal. So they are very intesting cities born at a major turning point in civilisation.
- blondin 7y ago
  but... since you mentioned the french, isn't french cities like paris more than thousands of years old. thanks for replying though, i was just curious why havana is suddenly singled out because it seems still a young city.
  - kome 7y ago
    yes, Rome and Paris have 1000+ years, but Havana is one of the first "western" colonial city in the "new world".
  - docdeek 7y ago
    Old for a colonial city, but you're right that French cities (for example) are far older. My own city [0] is closing in on its 2000 year anniversary - should be a big celebration when it comes around in about 20 years. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyon#History_of_Lyon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyon#History_of_Lyon
- jcranmer 7y ago
  > just as Byzantine (i.e. E. Roman Empire) finally fell to the Ottomans The Fall of Constantinople was in 1453, the Empire of Trebizond fell in 1461, and the Principality of Theodoro in 1475, which marked the final end of any state claiming to have been the "true" successor to the Byzantine Empire after its defeat in 1204 in the Fourth Crusade. All of these dates markedly predates Columbus's contact voyage in 1492.
  - reitzensteinm 7y ago
    They're in the same lifetime. I don't think that a few decades here or there matters to parent's point.
  - tyri_kai_psomi 7y ago
    Byzantium still existed, it was just under Ottoman domination, and relatively speaking of course, the Ottomans were relatively more tolerant than Christians than other Muslim empires, and the heritage of Byzantium was transferred to Russia, the connections with the West were still strong. This may just come down to it depending on which history books you read. Fun fact: The Patriarchate of Constantinople still exists today!
    - arethuza 7y ago
      I always found the idea of Moscow as the "Third Rome" quite fascinating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Rome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Rome [Also the derivation of Tsar from Caesar]

At least 3 significant digits, since we know the exact year; but given we seem to know the exact day you could probably claim it's more like 5 significant digits (500.00 years).

hajimemash 7y ago
Brevity is the soul of wit

jariel 7y ago

These are the oldest 'Western' cities in the colonial New World. They were established just after 'contact', just as Byzantine (i.e. E. Roman Empire) finally fell to the Ottomans, at the dawn of the Reformation, before the Enlightenment ... just at the very start of the 'modern period' in Europe. To give some context, Napoleon was 100 years closer to 'our time' than he was to 'that time'. The last English king to die in battle was about this time. The French were not yet a real power. Europe's borders as we know them were just taking shape, and the 'Americas' were entirely Aboriginal. So they are very intesting cities born at a major turning point in civilisation.

blondin 7y ago
but... since you mentioned the french, isn't french cities like paris more than thousands of years old. thanks for replying though, i was just curious why havana is suddenly singled out because it seems still a young city.
- kome 7y ago
  yes, Rome and Paris have 1000+ years, but Havana is one of the first "western" colonial city in the "new world".
- docdeek 7y ago
  Old for a colonial city, but you're right that French cities (for example) are far older. My own city [0] is closing in on its 2000 year anniversary - should be a big celebration when it comes around in about 20 years. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyon#History_of_Lyon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyon#History_of_Lyon
jcranmer 7y ago
> just as Byzantine (i.e. E. Roman Empire) finally fell to the Ottomans The Fall of Constantinople was in 1453, the Empire of Trebizond fell in 1461, and the Principality of Theodoro in 1475, which marked the final end of any state claiming to have been the "true" successor to the Byzantine Empire after its defeat in 1204 in the Fourth Crusade. All of these dates markedly predates Columbus's contact voyage in 1492.
- reitzensteinm 7y ago
  They're in the same lifetime. I don't think that a few decades here or there matters to parent's point.
- tyri_kai_psomi 7y ago
  Byzantium still existed, it was just under Ottoman domination, and relatively speaking of course, the Ottomans were relatively more tolerant than Christians than other Muslim empires, and the heritage of Byzantium was transferred to Russia, the connections with the West were still strong. This may just come down to it depending on which history books you read. Fun fact: The Patriarchate of Constantinople still exists today!
  - arethuza 7y ago
    I always found the idea of Moscow as the "Third Rome" quite fascinating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Rome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Rome [Also the derivation of Tsar from Caesar]