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Random related fact, too, the oldest university in the Americas is San Marcos (Lima, Perú) which was founded in May 12, 1551; 1 year after the history books mar
by rburhum 5y ago
Random related fact, too, the oldest university in the Americas is San Marcos (Lima, Perú) which was founded in May 12, 1551; 1 year after the history books mark the end of the Aztec civilization.
- Mizza 5y agoTime is weird. Oxford University is 200 years older than the start of the Aztec civilization.
- AlotOfReading 5y agoThis is a bit like saying Oxford is 800 years older than the Italian civilization. It's more confusing than it is useful.
- labster 5y agoAnd for 300 years, Oxford University shared the planet with the Roman Empire.
- ithinkso 5y agoWell, if you mean Byzantine Empire (East Roman Empire with the Constantinople as a capitol) then absolutely massive amount of things shared it's time with it because it has fallen in 1453, even Columbus shared the planet with it. But at this point, maybe incorrectly but surely, 'Roman Empire' is synonymous with antiquity so the republic and early empire, I think that even if year 495 counts here then it's borderline
- dotancohen 5y agoAs a Jewish Israeli, reading this thread is eye-opening. What many people here consider the real Roman Empire rose _after_ the fall of my ancestors. And that Roman Empire is considered ancient? We view our ancestors from that time period as contemporary as we view our present day politicians. Sometimes is it very good to see the perspective of others. Thank you.
- ithinkso 5y agoWhat does contemporary mean in this context? i.e. what's not considered 'contemporary'
- dotancohen 5y agoI mean that we don't consider them "long gone". Their teachings are as relevant today as they were at the time of their lives. We consider Adam, Noah ancient. But the Romans? Might as well have been last week.
- gilleain 5y agoWell I would consider Adam and Noah to be mythologial rather than ancient. Even Moses, who might have lived around the 13th century bc would have been 1000 years after Sargon of Akkad. There is a lot of history to go around, so many peoples and civilisations that we know of, and so many that we do not.
- linspace 5y agoGo far enough and you and me share the same ancestor. I think there was a post that statistically you don't need to go that far (just a few millenia)
- Rooki 5y agoWe need an Assyrian to chime in here...
- punchingpeople 5y agoAs a Purepecha Mexican I find it very eye-opening the other way around. Very weird to see people consider our empires ancient, we are very aware we are the new kids on the block. As an aside, I have always found it interesting when people talk about the Mayans as some mythical lost thing, have had a few beers with them, good people, but not mythical by any stretch.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- anikan_vader 5y agoIt's slightly misleading to the reader to refer to the Byzantine Empire as the Roman Empire. Sure, the people living there considered themselves Romans, but they also referred to their country as Romania, which also today is not typically used to refer to the Byzantine Empire without giving further context.
- ecedeno 5y agoActually, that's the second oldest. Universidad Santo Tomas de Aquino (Santo Domingo, La Hispaniola) was founded by papal decree over a decade earlier, but it wasn't officially recognised by the king of Spain until 1558. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universidad_Santo_Tomás_de_Aquino https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universidad_Santo_Tomás_de_Aqu...
- rockinghigh 5y agoIt makes more sense to compare that date with the end of the Inca Empire as the Aztecs were in Central America, not Peru. Spain founded the University of San Marco after they took over Peru from the Incas.