Poll of the Day > What is the most important city in human history?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I feel like Rome should have that since it led to many other important cities.

In comparison, the Great Pyramid of Giza is only 4,600 years old.

Allegedly

nothing in that list is even close to old enough

Maybe sumer, but the really important ones are the first ones in the fertile cressent, or some first unknown city that actually first had the bodycount to BE a city.

Or maybe the first one that lasted more then a single generation.

I'd accept Jerico, as it's 10,000ish years old and has been continually occupied, but ones that didn't make it but are even OLDER are far more important.

nothing in that list is even close to old enough

Maybe sumer, but the really important ones are the first ones in the fertile cressent, or some first unknown city that actually first had the bodycount to BE a city.

Or maybe the first one that lasted more then a single generation.

I'd accept Jerico, as it's 10,000ish years old and has been continually occupied, but ones that didn't make it but are even OLDER are far more important.

1. Mecca
Every Muslim has the duty of praying in the direction of Mecca every single day, performing the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) once in their life and being buried in the direction facing Mecca after death. The fact that a large % of the world population have been structuring their lives for millennia around one city is pretty nuts to me.

2. Rome
3. Jerusalem
4. Chang'an
5. London
6. Athens
7. Baghdad
8. Paris
9. Constantinople/Istanbul
10. Beijing
Honorable mentions: Tokyo, Moscow, Florence, Venice, Berlin, Cairo, Varanasi, Pataliputra, Memphis, Jericho, Persepolis, Uruk

It's a hard question and entirely subjective how you consider importance. An extreme would be how important is a city like Cambridge?

We're talking historical significance, not religious importance.

It was the capital of Mohamed's empire which spread Islam throughout the middle East, north Africa and Europe. I could see a strong argument that this matches or exceeds the influence of other imperial capitals.

Then by that logic the Holy Roman Empire would have just as much influence in that regard.

Thats a really strange choice of something to jump to.

The Holy Roman Empire wasn't really built around a specific city, the rulers would typically only visit Rome to be coronated (and this practice became less and less common as the years went on). The large cities in the Holy Roman Empire were self governing with the state being notoriously decentralized by design.

The HRE spread Christianity throughout Eastern Europe, which isn't nearly as impressive as how Islam spread from Mecca. It never set to spreading influence in the same way that other European nations did.

Furthermore the Holy Roman Empire collapsed 200 years ago and has been effectively replaced by the German state which has almost no resemblance to it. Mecca and everything that spread out from it has remained an important part of history since before the HRE even existed.

I'm not clowning on the Holy Roman Empire, I consider myself a "fan", but the two states are wildly incomparable I'm not sure how you jump from one to the other.

Because there are more Christians than there are Muslims in the world.

There are more Muslims than Roman catholics

So you're comparing numbers of one sect of christianity to numbers of all sects of islam... exactly what point are you trying to make.

There are more Muslims than Roman catholics

Even the none-catholics tend to hold Rome with at least some level of religious regard. It may not dictate their lives and/or religion but... It's like checking in on your dad well after you've moved out. He doesn't control your life and you don't have to listen in the slightest (and probably don't on a multitude of things) but you still care about him and what he says somewhat. At least ideally.

What the fuck

I think we're talking about the religious significance of Rome vs Mecca but honestly I'm not sure what Rev is arguing. But Rome is not religiously significant to sects of Christians other than Roman Catholics.

It's very obvious you didn't read anything above my post tho.

I said Christians, not Catholics.

But Rome is not religiously significant to sects of Christians other than Roman Catholics.

And how many of them could tell you that Aachen was the captial of the Holy Roman Empire?

Catholicism is probably the most correct version of Christianity...

at least we know the Pope exists

Catholicism is probably the most correct version of Christianity...

at least we know the Pope exists

Judaism is probably the most correct version of Christianity. Because it's what Jesus himself would have believed, not what Paul came up with after the fact.

Judaism is probably the most correct version of Christianity. Because it's what Jesus himself would have believed, not what Paul came up with after the fact.

This is a troublesome thought, I was raised as a devout neopaulitan

That's when you have 3 flavours of icecream in the same box - Father, Son and Holy Mint!