What's The Oldest Surviving Building On Earth?

What is the world's oldest surviving building? It feels like one of those questions we should all know the answer to. Surely it's somewhere like the Pyramids, or Stonehenge? Nope: there are buildings way older than that, and arguably the oldest of them all is a relatively unknown site in France. I went to Brittany to investigate further...
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MORE INFO:
Wikipedia List of Oldest Known Surviving Buildings - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Official website of the Cairn - www.barnenez.fr/
Visit to the Cairn with Jean-Jacques Monnier, specialist in Breton history (in French) - • Cairn de Barnenez, még...
Article in Ouest-France about the time a local mayor tried to bulldoze the Cairn (in French) - www.ouest-france.fr/bretagne/...
Hurriyet article about the discovery of a site older than Göbekli Tepe: www.hurriyetdailynews.com/anc...

[@PopeLando]

It's so tragic to think of what we've lost because in the olden days people demolished important historical monuments just for the stone. You know, the olden days like *the nineteen fifties* !! 🤬🤬

[@HisameArtwork]

in Romania we have chistian vandals that demolished roman bridges and aqueducts to make churches... they look terrible, but the priests inside still try and take your money for preservation purposes... it's a monument to stupidity, why would I want to preserve that??

[@XMarkxyz]

That's what astonishes me, in Rome the people stopped using Roman ruins as marble quarry and to make cement in the late reinassance, that's funny that in France they realized it in the 1950

[@juststeve5542]

The number of amazing buildings we've lost in the past 50 years is criminal... I personally watch a perfectly usable, historic building destroyed by a local authority only a few years ago. They had no use for the stone, they just wanted the land for a grotty carpark...

[@markstott6689]

😡😡😡💀☠️💀☠️💀☠️💩💩💩

[@rebmcr]

Stonehenge was damaged by British Army tank crews in the 20th century.

[@Carlton-B]

In Belize, in 2013, a 2300-year-old Mayan temple was bulldozed to use as fill for a highway. It was a well-known temple which had been cleared and maintained and was a tourist attraction, and a construction company bulldozed it in broad daylight. It was the tallest surviving temple in Beliz. The construction company owner was a high-ranking politician. It wasn't the oldest building on Earth, arguably, and now it never will be.

[@uwsgrrrl9981]

Breaks my heart destroying ancient buildings.

[@brianbarker2551]

I think we have a new video, for the oldest bulldozed building on Earth!

[@MichaelCook84]

Disgusting government criminals

[@kaloarepo288]

You think they could have carefully taken it down and then re-erected in a safer place like they did to the Abu Simbel temples in Egypt when they built that big dam!

[@Carlton-B]

@@kaloarepo288 They didn't tear it down because it was in the way. The contractors secretly demolished it for the stone to use as fill for highway construction. It is called Nohmul, in Belize. If you want to know more, look up Nohmul in Wikipedia.

[@stevenjbeto]

When the glaciers melted away 15,000 years ago, the oceans are said to have risen 300 to 400 feet covering many man made objects including what appear to be buildings. The Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea, and the northwest coast of India are fine examples.

[@tongobong1]

And today stupid "liberals" think that climate started to change only 100 years ago.

[@Martin-sp4zf]

A good point.

[@3PercentNeanderhal]

The Younger Dryas was a bittch

[@MrRepsie]

you probably also believe in the climate change crisis at this moment. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@janebeckman3431]

@@MrRepsie So, do you think there was no Ice Age? Or that we are still in it? No Doggerland? The climate of the earth is always changing, sometimes catastrophically. Not asking you to believe in geology, just curious.

[@ashbridgeindustries380]

This is - arguably - one of the best videos I've seen on the topic of the world's oldest building.

[@fmodesto1]

This comment is, arguably, underated.

[@GenericYoutubeGuy]

The Tower of Babel, though no longer a building, is likely the oldest remains of a building in history, at least in Mesopotamia. It was rebuilt three times, and currently is just a few layers of compact sinking stone in the first few feet of the earth and below, thanks to people like Darius and Alexander, as well as the swampy conditions there. Not sure the bottom layer has been dated yet, but ohhh I know it’s the oldest.

[@ianthomas739]

Ever heard of Gobekli Tepi ?

[@emilgilels]

@@ianthomas739 Ever try watching a video all the way through before commenting on it???

[@ianthomas739]

@@emilgilels nope

[@nerrelloader4226]

I just watched this with my daughter. She commented how she loves that you always mention wheelchair access. She is in a wheelchair and finding places to visit that is accessible is laborious. So, thank you Tim.

[@spiralpython1989]

Yes! As a “mobility-compromised” individual (a bureaucratic called me that) Tim’s attitude to inclusivity without making a big deal about it is one more reason to love his vids😎

[@DueySR]

On another accessibility note, Tim's captions are always top-notch. All his videos have custom added subtitles with inflections and everything, not KZbin's auto-generated ones.

[@Marquis-Sade]

@@DueySR What do you mean with inflections?

[@romerogoon]

@@Marquis-Sade in short, it's how you say it rather than what you say. In British English, it's about the intonation and pitch of your voice, to make the same words sound like a question, filled with sarcasm, or sound like you're about to batter them. In other languages - particarly French - they're almost a grammatical requirement. One could argue that you can say "may I have a glass of water please?", but they won't twig you're asking a question without the upward inflection in your voice at the end of the sentence. This comment is about 100 words too long but whatevs.

[@Marquis-Sade]

@@romerogoon Thanks, but how did Tom wrote tha? I mean that you can see an inflection?

[@marcvanderlinden7618]

As someone with a PhD in archaeology, a passion for pedantry, and a profound love for this channel, there is indeed a lot of uncertainty in the dating of Barnenez. Arguably, if you're willing to discount Jericho because of its potential ritual function, I'm happy to discount Barnenez as a tomb, a big one arguably, but still.... Jericho all the way for me in terms of architecture (and yes, let's rule out - controversially? - Gobelki Tepe for the lack of roof 😂 ) PS: the Indiana Jones theme in accordion tune is a crime against my discipline, but made me laugh A LOT

[@chouseification]

I was fully expecting them to call out Göbekli Tepe, but they want to put random lines in the sand... giving an answer only correct from a certain perspective. :P

[@ellisonsimon]

I find this comment arguable.

[@fredygump5578]

I quite like the idea that Barnenez can't be a "building" due to it being a tomb. It does not meet the criteria of "intended for human occupation". If we fail to include the criteria of being intended for human occupation, we would have to categorize things like storage tanks as "buildings". Clearly this would be a dangerous result, so it cannot be allowed. I mean, it would lead people to assume that unsafe structures are safe. Specifically, structures like storage tanks would otherwise meet the definition of a "building", except they can be quite dangerous to a person entering them without following proper safety procedures. And one of the key identifying characteristics of a confined space is that it is not meant for human occupation.

[@RomanoPRODUCTION]

that's a fool proof comment from a knowledgeable being. Thank you so much.

[@RomanoPRODUCTION]

Sir I would suggest a tomb as "intended for perpetual human occupation" so for human occupation, humans dead or alive. The living can share space with the dead to protect from the rain if needed. Also you should refrain from being so adorable, shouldn't you?

[@cliffrover]

You can't speak of the oldest, still standing buildings on Earth, without mentioning the Temples of Malta, which date to at least 3800 BC. By many, they are considered the oldest buildings on Earth.

[@totalmadnesman]

Göbekli Tepe comes into mind. ;)

[@markwilson9061]

I think Göbeklitepe has now taken the record of the oldest surviving building in the world being from between 9500 and 8000 BCE

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

Its sister site Karahan Tepe has evidence of habitation and construction dating back more than a thousand years before Göbekli Tepe. Our knowledge of these sites is still developing but at the moment Karahan Tepe seems to take the cake.

[@badcampa2641]

I dont believe any of these dates are legit, the sector is plauged by Legions and Hordes of gatekeepers, history racism greed power and spite all collide here. There was an ancient (Indian) temple in Jerusalem so who are these 3 modern imposters? "Cast out your hearts" etc etc etc etc

[@mnomadvfx]

@@littlesnowflakepunk855 Remnants of Natufian sites like Shubayqa 1 with clear signs of walls having once existed are older still.

[@kenstruelens5112]

The worst part is that there were two cairns at Barnenez in the past. A slightly smaller one was located a few hundred metres more to the North but was destroyed to use the material to make a road out of it. They knew perfectly what they were doing at the time and it’s almost a miracle that this cairn is still there. In Arzon, on the Southern coast of Brittany is another cairn with an intersting story. The Nazi’s built a bunker inside of it, it’s called Petit Mont.

[@markaxworthy2508]

France has so much archaeology that they often take it for granted. I remember seeing a group of standing stones in the middle of a roundabout.

[@mnomadvfx]

The Nazi's built a bunker inside a cave system on Crete during WW2 that may well have been the labyrinth of the Minotaur legend. So of course the Nazi's blew it up when they realised their position was untenable 😒

[@mnomadvfx]

@@markaxworthy2508 France is more up its own backside about medieval architecture than anything previous that has far less place of prestige. Contrast that to Britain where we jizz our pants everytime a new major Anglo Saxon find is uncovered, or the wood henge found in lower (older) archaeological strata in the stonehenge area. We Brits on the whole love our own ancient history. Most French seem to be a bit bemused by theirs.

[@markaxworthy2508]

@@mnomadvfx Evidence? Source?

[@QuantumHistorian]

There's a subtle difference between interpreting _"The oldest surviving building"_ as either _"The oldest building that survives as a building"_ or _"The oldest building of which some elements survive"_ . I'd tend to prefer the second interpretation in archaeology. The aim, after all, is to find out about the past: if you've found enough remains to unequivocally say that it used to be a building, then you've found a building. Whether it still is a building or not is of relevance to tourists, but not to our knowledge of history.

[@montec6113]

At that point it's called "Oldest surviving ruins"

[@firesurfer]

I argue for Gobekli Tepe. Maybe a couple of markers were moved to France. :)

[@QuantumHistorian]

@@montec6113 not quite. You can have ruins of things that were never buildings: monuments, statues, and walls for example.

[@iLaurock]

"if you've found enough remains to unequivocally say that it used to be a building, then you've found a building" I'd argue that you then have found a former building. In the same way as the question "Who is the oldest surviving human" should not be answered with "We've found a couple of bones from 50 000 BCE" but with "Lucile Randon, who by the way also is in france"

[@Leblribrbrrq]

@@montec6113 Now, is the "oldest surviving ruin" a former building that has been a ruin the longest or is it a ruin of an oldest (now former) building?

[@belijah1473]

this channel has big time pbs travel show vibes with the music and the pleasant commentary. super nostalgic

[@papagrounds]

I just found out your channel couple of weeks ago and I can't believe you don't have at least 10 million subs! This channel is pure diamond for broke ass travellers like me. I get to see the world from my own couch and learn more about different European cultures, places and history than I've ever even imagined learning in school. Keep up the good work, Tim! 😊🤓👌

[@DevinDTV]

not even Tom Scott has 10 million subs

[@Banz_FPSB]

I've been on KZbin since early 2006. I've watched so many different things there, spent countless hours on it, subscribed to and unsubscribed from many channels, saw plenty of those channels raise and vanish, discovered topics I never knew would interest me, laughed my ass off watching comedy videos and cried as I learnt a lovely youtuber I followed had died. And with all this history of mine on KZbin I can safely say: this channel is my absolute favourite of them all. Each and every one of your videos never fail to do three things: put a smile on my face, arouse my curiousity, and boost my hopes and motivation. Pleasure, knowledge and positivity are wonderfully mixed on this channel. So, for all of that: many thanks Tim! I hope working on this channel gives you as much satisfaction as it does to me experiencing it. I wish you the best for all you projects. And again: thank you! PS: as I proofread this comment I realize it kind of sound like I'm answering a video where you just announced you stopped your channel, but it's precisely because I don't want to wait for such a video to arrive to express my gratitude. Why do we only ever acknowledge that something was great when it's over anyway?

[@TheTimTraveller]

Aw thank you right back Banz! I absolutely love working on these videos, and comments like yours make the hard hours of editing worth it :)

[@davidbuick8401]

@@TheTimTraveller arguably, doesn't that make your channel the longest surviving watched one?

[@oldmountainhermit3347]

@@davidbuick8401 Banz said it was his favourite amongst all those he's known, not that he's been watching Tim since 2006. In fact, Tim's oldest video is from 2018.

[@christesta9163]

I agree with every sentence of Banz, lots of love to Tim!

[@karinwolf3645]

Yes!! I agree! 💋❤❤😍. Sweetest presenter I have ever seen! Love the shout out and thanks to your aunt and uncle, too. You are such a good person I could watch every day! This is the first-time watching... So I subscribed!!😆💋😎

[@Spedley_2142]

What gets me is that this building is clearly the result of very long period of learning how to build. It's wasn't a cave man who found the area was full so built his own cave, it's the result of a culture of builders. Skills passed down from parent to child, learning about new materials and how to extract them, what they are good for etc. This is probably a locally devised structure from a much more ancient building knowledge using local materials and local tradition.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Somewhere along the way, a guy became the first architect to build a building that would last thousands of years. It just took thousands of years for anyone to realize their accomplishment.

[@hedgehog3180]

Well we do have remains of much older buildings that weren't made out of stone. Despite the stereotype of them being nomads a lot of hunter gatherers lived in semi-permament or permanent villages, this was especially common in coastal areas because it was possible for fishing to supply a permanently settled population without agriculture. We have remains of villages as far north as Denmark for example that are older than any of the buildings on this list. The remains here are usually things like evidence of holes that wooden pillars were put into or evidence of permanent fire pits and stuff like that.

[@assassinlexx1993]

Just Joe Biden where his first house was and you found the oldest whore house.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

And not only did they figure out how to build. They figured out how make it last aeon's (not geological ones that would be millions of years. The ones that last 2160 years)

[@Spedley_2142]

I used to look down on 'fashion', I didn't see the point. But now I realise that 'fashion' is just an extention of recently learned techniques. Before structural engineers and calculations, structures were built based on trial and error. When someone gets a new idea it rapidly spreads and develops and this can be seen in everything from clothing to architecture and even new methods of workng and thinking.

[@blazinchalice]

A++ video, thank you. Complete with counterpoints, interior shots, humor, and even transit access information. Very, very well done.

[@nickrich56]

New subscriber here ... I'm curious as to what constitutes a building in my travels as well but when they're that ancient I'm glad for my hotel room! Keep on traveling Tim! 😊👍☮️

[@kaymish6178]

As a burial Cairn I would argue that Barnenez also goes in the monument bucket too.

[@pierreernoult]

As a French, I never heard of this building. Thank you for bringing that to us. And pardon my English.

[@Raycheetah]

Your English is better than my French. And this is the first I'd ever heard of this marvelous and important site, so we're alike in that regard. =^[.]^=

[@redwoods7370]

I'm an English teacher and your English is great. I would just recommend that you say "...a French person." Meilleurs voeux.

[@jefferysmith4753]

Pardon my English! Ha! I am not sure if you meant that turn of phrase as a joke or not but I still find it funny.

[@pierreernoult]

@@jefferysmith4753 I know "Pardon my French" which is an accurate sentence (more in the French movies than in reality), in fact, I was just using the same grammatical structure.

[@michaelboys2602]

Great video, Tim!!! Love your work!! Also, that version of Indian Jones is soooooo bloomin good!!!!! 😀😀

[@MaartenBakker]

As always, loving your content! The fact you did not reach a milion subs is nothing short of an insult. Until next time and I hope to see you.. soon!

[@Intranetusa]

The destruction of historical artifacts and buildings is unfortunately all too common around the world. Self proclaimed "archeologists" blew up several earlier layers of the buried "cities" of Troy with dynamite to seek the older layers associated with Greek legends. People tore apart the stones of the Colloseum in Rome to build houses and to use as lime. Italian treasury hunters blew up the Nubian pyramids of Sudan to seek treasure. European treasure hunters tore apart the stone fortress of Great Zimbabwe. People tore apart the different Great Walls in China to use the stones and bricks for roads and houses, and ransacked and destroyed many ancient Chinese tombs to search for treasure.

[@peterritchie5593]

no english archeologists involved great zimbabwe

[@spacemanmat]

Have you seen what they did to the Egyptian pyramids?

[@Intranetusa]

​@@peterritchie5593 European "treasure hunters" is a more accurate term.

[@oogahpanda9275]

@@spacemanmat there was this one incident if I remember the detailscorrectly salahduin sontried to destroy the pyramids but couldn’t since it would be too expensive to

[@jonnda]

@@spacemanmat If you want to see Egypt, go to the British Museum.

[@valleyscottblog2440]

This is-arguably-the best channel on KZbin. I love how Tim finds these fascinating places & things that I would otherwise care nothing about. . . And make it completely interesting. And funny. Music was perfect on this video! 😂😂😂

[@bgbthabun627]

ikr?

[@danielaltmann8493]

And this is - arguably - the best comment for the video about the oldest arguably (surviving) building on planet Earth! 😅😂

[@falsemcnuggethope]

But it's also arguably the worst since it doesn't have enough cowbell

[@valleyscottblog2440]

@@falsemcnuggethope There’s never enough cowbell. . . arguably.

[@TheRoswellCode]

The "A" word again :(

[@michaelfox2433]

That was (arguably) extremely interesting. Thanks for a little piece of knowledge.

[@ChrisVillagomez]

The ancient city of Jericho and similar prehistoric communities and constructions are some of my favorite things to learn about in all of history

[@stefan0ni]

I’ve a feeling you’re about to tell us, Tim.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Arguably.

[@stefan0ni]

@@TheTimTraveller oh, I’d say: undoubtedly.

[@PaulMcElligott]

@@TheTimTraveller Actually...

[@Azubjourni]

@@stefan0ni indubidebly

[@worldtraveler930]

From a Certain Point of View!! 🤠👍

[@shdon]

As much as I already enjoy these videos, I must say that I appreciate them even more for including information about whether something is wheelchair accessible (despite that not having any impact on me personally). It adds a further caring touch to funny and informative content.

[@hedgehog3180]

It's extremely useful if you might go on holiday with friends who use a wheelchair or have any other mobility impairments since wheelchair accessible also tends to help those. I definitely appreciate it because I do know a lot of disabled people and it is conceivable that I could go on holiday with them one day.

[@pabloata4708]

yes yes, super important something that affects 0.01% of visitors. 🙄

[@charanth182]

@@pabloata4708 inclusivity isn't about numbers.

[@LillBenny]

Thank you for the video! How about complicating (or easing up?) things even further by finding the oldest surviving building still being used? Is it a residential building (castle?) still inhabited, a factory still being used or perhaps a church or pub that's still in operations?

[@detective29]

Thank you for posting this. I have never heard if this structure and it was great to learn about it and the other structures you mentioned.

[@willg9106]

Nice intro edit. Also, if were adding the condition of intended use into the equation, the monument vs. building debate can equally apply to the Cairn in my opinion. A mausoleum is equally as ceremonial as the solstice rituals the Tower of Jericho was intended for, considering bother are _arguably_ based on some level of superstition or religious practices...

[@hanswoast7]

When you account for the intent to go inside as a place of shelter, the Tower of Jericho is at least a very iffy edge case.

[@korenn9381]

agreed, a burial chamber is not constructed for shelter either.

[@hendman4083]

"some level of superstition or religious practices..." ... What is the difference? 🙄

[@space.tel-e-grams]

@@hendman4083 all religion is superstition but not all superstitions are religious.

[@farhanatashiga3721]

@@korenn9381 well it is built to shelter people, just not living ones

[@camerastooge]

I laughed way too hard at your renditions of both "Raiders March" and "Joshua Fought The Battle of Jericho". Thank you so much for the smiles!

[@jasdog71]

Can you make the renditions of your music available too? The Raiders March would be great for a phone alarm or ring tone.

[@froggystyle642]

Just stumbled across your channel, no idea how I missed it. The algorithm suggests good stuff after all! Subbed!

[@JustAPositiveGuy]

I love your videos. Try visiting Gobekli Tepe one day, those structures go as far back as 10,000 BCE

[@markvincent522]

Thank you for always mentioning the wheelchair access for the places you visit. My mom died of ALS in 2020 and traveling while she was confined to a wheelchair was rough. There were a lot of places she wanted to see but couldn't due to lack of wheelchair access. I have to admit that as a person who has the use of his legs, wheelchair access had never crossed my mind, but experiencing how difficult it was for my mom really affected me, so I truly appreciate you taking the time to mention it in nearly every video.

[@lexlayabout5757]

But I don't want historic places ruined by inappropriate modern structures being added*, often _deliberately_ conspicuous for virtue signalling. I'm getting arthritic myself but will accept not being able to reach everywhere, especially with the availability of CGI and KZbin videos etc. People with mobility problems once used crutches more than wheelchairs, and they could negotiate stairs, and I know some people who use mobility scooters as little tax-free cars (eg a wife who uses her husband's scooter to go shopping) and are not disabled at all. * Eg : Harlech Castle in Wales, Tintagel in Cornwall.

[@markvincent522]

@@lexlayabout5757 I absolutely agree. There has to be a balance and obviously wheelchairs won’t be able to go everywhere.

[@robertthompson7270]

It's possible that at the this building was constructed, building regulations did not require wheelchair assess. Actually wheelchairs had not been invented then. Maybe wheels were not even invented then. Title for another video. When was the first wheel invented?

[@Mochi-vh2vi]

I'm just happy to see some of Brittany's prehistory mentioned 💖 I have lots of fond memories of visiting places like the Carnac stones with family

[@richardsleep2045]

I visited Barnenez once, it's really impressive. Great video, thanks.

[@mrhernandez739]

"Arguably " lol, you had me rolling. Good stuff bro

[@intiorozco5063]

It's nice of you to give info about stairs and wheelchair accessibility. Often it's very scarce, and you only find out when you get there. Sometimes it's not even stairs; gravel can be impassable for a wheelchair, as it sinks in.

[@oaxacachaka]

I didn't even know they had wheelchairs back then.

[@Eveseptir]

Hey cool! I worked the tides as an oyster farmer 20 years ago in the bay of Morlaix. The workshop was right there in little Terenez bay at the foot of the sandbar you can see in the vid! Back then you could walk right over and into the Cairn since there was no parking, no tourist hub or anything but a gravel road. It really is a stunningly beautiful place.

[@lordbarristertimsh8050]

Wonderful video Tim, I have to say, the only {buildings(?)} this old I had heard of before I watched this video was Gobekli Tepe, so this was a very interesting and informative video on your part! Thanks for making it!

[@brianmsahin]

Very interesting video. Haven't seen your channel before, just subscribed. This place is very reminiscent of Newgrange in Ireland which is probably more famous, so I agree this should be famous too! Newgranges earliest dating is 3600bc but some say 3200bc. There's a lot of guesswork but this looks SO similar to Newgrange,, maybe they're both from the same period. As for the oldest building, this does not even come close. At 11,000 to 9,000 BC the enclosure structures at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey most definitely takes the crown. And it is still standing.... It's only missing a roof, there're arguments about what it is, some say meeting halls, some say a temple, others say it might just be for food storage. Also it's a fantastic place, we were there last November and it is really amazing. Could be a nice video for you!

[@RMTren]

Gotta love a bit (or, arguably, a lot) of pedantry. Also, why was I not taught this in my History of Architecture class? If they can teach me about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, then surely they could've taught me this, something I can actually visit 🤦 (unless I WAS taught this and just didn't pay attention, but I doubt it lol)

[@childesinthev.761]

I think it's usually part of some 'blink and you'll miss it' same-breath mention of a number of neolithic and early bronze age megalithic structures in the regular French school curriculum. But this era tends to be taught quite early which probably doesn't help with the degree of detail that can be gone into and what retention can be expected, unless you happen to live in areas where it's a point of regional pride and chosen for some type of expanded activity.

[@hedgehog3180]

The Hanging Gardens probably never existed anyways and it might have been a long game of telephone.

[@SizzleCorndog]

Probably because it is the history of architecture, not history of buildings or any archeology course. Like dont get me wrong building a grave site like this would have been insanely difficult but when I think architecture I think of structures designed with skilled labor and intention of a specific aesthetic not people's first attempts at simply building.

[@LongPeter]

6:30 that mug shaped the lower 2/3 of Obelix made me smile.

[@davidmizak4642]

You deliver excellent content to your audience. It's very interesting material. All of your effort put into creating this video is much appreciated. I'm truly grateful for your help!

[@christophernewman5027]

This popped up in my recommendations. Interesting! Subbed. 😊

[@nickjenkey]

Another great video, I always feel I learn more in a few minutes from one of your videos than in half an hour elsewhere. Love the music too!

[@MrAlsachti]

It reminds me how I was surprised to learn that Notre-Dame of Strasbourg was the tallest building in the world for more than two centuries.

[@hedgehog3180]

And before the middle ages it was the Pyramids who held the record for thousands of years.

[@howinteresting2]

After Lincoln and Old St Paul's Cathedrals UK, Oh.. and Salisbury cathedral... all the tallest and record holders for a time I think.

[@lh3540]

The casiotone rendition of the Time Team theme was hilarious, well done. 🤣

[@barbaracleverly9058]

A delight! New knowledge delivered with wit and humour!

[@rgibson7305]

I have a doctorate in archaeology, and this was fabulous.

[@operaforlife6551]

Yet ANOTHER thing to add to my ever-growing list of things to visit... thanks Tim! :D Btw, have you noticed you have a fan working for the BBC travel section? They've done two articles close together about vids you made, one about the nation-changing Island, and another one, which I sadly can't remember.. ;)

[@erikbertram6019]

OMG, I just rewatched this video and just noticed your swanky remix of the Timeteam tune. Such a fan!

[@volpegregori5348]

this was a great video with a lot of valuable information , arguably .

[@daandanx]

This was one of the first ever questions i remember asking my mother. Glad to finally get an answer _...arguably_

[@taddili651]

Loving your rendition of the QI theme song in this episode! And recognizing the Indy theme took me much longer than I would like to admit

[@Jack-Hands]

Don't forget the Time Team rendition.

[@mrewan6221]

And Bob the Builder!

[@mrs.g.9816]

Older than Newgrange in Ireland - Wow! It must be a trip walking through the Cairn, touching stones that people so long ago put into place.

[@kanedaku]

Tim, I half-met your challenge of discovering an older building. I hopped in my time machine and went back to 15,000BC (just to be safe) and build a very basic single story stone structure, 15ft x 40ft, divided into three rooms. I obviously didn't measure height above sea level because when I got back, there's a bloody hill where I put it, and it was flat land back then. 😭 No-one will take me seriously about doing some ground penetrating scans, do I'm gonna have to do a GoFundMe or something to hire someone to do that. Cant go back and build another one because each journey needs very specific solar alignments and other what-nots. I will let you know before it all kicks off so you can videog the process, and have a trip back to the motherland too!

[@absolutjackal]

At the very end, I was waiting for the "arguably", so much so that I said it, assuming you would. Then you didn't and I thought "surely he is going to say it, no?". And I waited, so long that my tea went cold...well, would have had I had a cup. Then I thought....well maybe he isn't, and I died a little inside thinking the joke wasn't going to come full circle....but then, approx. 4 hours later (seemingly), you DID say it! and now I can die happy. That was the perfect amount of pause. Thank you.

[@alfredklek]

Tim, I love your choices of music! Am I right in guessing that your choice of the QI theme song was because you mentioned the Great Wall of Qi once for half a second? If so, that's just effing brilliant. If not, it's fun anyway and you obviously know what sort of nerd watches your videos. I also love Time Team just in case you somehow thought I wasn't paying attention.

[@awkwardaquamarine19]

I thought the music seemed familiar. Reminds me of that famous swashbuckling archeologist.

[@worldtraveler930]

@@awkwardaquamarine19 Agree with your Professor Jones observation! 🤠👍

[@awkwardaquamarine19]

@@worldtraveler930 Thanks. Glad I'm not the only Dr. Jones Jr. fan. Cheers! 😉

[@TheTimTraveller]

@Alfred Klek - cheers! I like your Wall of Qi explanation, but no, it's Pedantry Corner that triggers the QI music.

[@janetchristian]

Thanks for this! I have a rather extensive Google Doc listing all the places in Europe we still want to visit. I've added the Cairn to that list.

[@thomarsep]

Great vid. I went to Barnenez a few years ago and was blown away by it. I still think Gobekli Tepe is "the daddy", but I kind of agree with you about what defines a building.

[@Zeppflyer]

Tim, you really need to get up to the Knap of Howar (as mentioned on your video) someday. In the middle of a pasture on a remote island of 80 people, accessed by the shortest regular commercial flight in the world, it bills itself as the oldest house in Western Europe. Not that other people haven't done videos about the Papa Westray to Westray flight, but putting the two together seems tailor made for your channel. Also, I didn't know that the Indiana Jones theme on a squeezebox was something I needed in my life, but apparently it was.

[@AaronOfMpls]

Yah, Tom Scott did cover the Westray-Papa Westray flight, for one -- kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqu8gWNneLV2bKc . Still, if there's other stuff there that's up your alley... 😎 EDIT: Heh, I forgot he had a few seconds of that oldest house. "...It's raining sideways..."

[@OtterBops]

As an Orcadian I +1 this, as the dating is uncertain the Knap may even be older than the cairn, and even if it's not it's still amazing. Plus you have Skara Brae near by (Arguably) the worlds oldest village (and plumbing). I think we definitely need a TTT video on both sites, plus the flight...

[@worldtraveler930]

I second that motion!! 🤠👍

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Playing Indiana Jones on the accordion is surprisingly neat. Kind of reminds me of "Funiculi, Funicula."

[@diechecker2016]

Wow. You're doing something right, Tim. 4k watches in 20 minutes. Keep up the good work. And it definitely is a building.

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

Ii would say that was a timely planned robbery

[@greyfells2829]

This seems to be in better condition, but Gobleki Tepe and Jericho immediately come to mind as older sites of construction. I don't really consider condition to be such an important factor, especially when the building in question is a pile of loose rocks.

[@A.Guy10000]

If the tower of Jericho is a "monument, not a building" because of the restricted intended use, then so is a burial cairn.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Arguably, yes :). But it's possible for something to be both a monument and a building. For example, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is very much both. So it depends where you draw the line between "monument & building", and "just a monument".

[@urbanfile3861]

That's curious. I was thinking about this (arguably oldest surviving) building just few days ago because I suggested a friend of mine who was in Britanny for hollidays to go to visit it. I went there about three years ago, it's worth a visit for sure. But there are many things to see in Bretagne, surely one of the most fascinating regions of France. And far from the stereotypical idea of France which non French often have.

[@apveening]

Brittany is still occupied territory and the Bretons are a suppressed people, don't confuse them with French.

[@urbanfile3861]

@@apveening lol

[@dougshyler6455]

Until 5 minutes ago, I never heard of this! Thanks for posting. Any other secrets in Britanny? I really enjoy your pedantry. Don't stop!

[@Bubajumba]

they got a few other places similar to Stonehenge

[@willsimpkins7278]

This is actually really cool I have never seen this place before I would like for you to show more details but that is okay just the idea that you brought it to light is cool enough

[@interruptingPreempt]

I'm really amused that you found the perfect moment to use "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho". Thanks for the history lesson!

[@ThomasMielke]

We've been there a few years ago, while vacationing in a house in Térénez on other side of the little bay, just a few minutes away. And we wondered as well, that this place is so unknown. It was almost by accident that we visited the building and the museum. But it was very interesting, especially if you really think about it, that this place is so old.

[@IanZainea1990]

5:27 Honestly that mayor was carrying on a long and tried and true tradition. Why quarry more rock when there's some right over there neatly stacked and waiting. It's why the pyramids don't have their limestone covers (it wasn't erosion)

[@emmahardesty4330]

Thank you. Definitely agree. All your points make perfect sense as to what defines a building.

[@minerat27]

Man, that Time Team background music you used when discussing the alternative sites was so nostalgic.

[@Sim0nTrains]

I'm not going to Arguably say that this is a awesome video.... because it is! Awesome Video Tim.

[@Simonrosseel]

A tim traveler upload makes my day 10x better, every time without fail

[@abbofun9022]

You mean every Tim without fail . . . . . 😎

[@missnidurar]

I love when you used the soundtrack of bob the builder when you talked about ..the building and the indiana jones theme..btw the video was great and im subscribed i love to visit brananez when i go to france mon chère ami pourquoi pas

[@coreyjudd4676]

Is that a variation on the Time Team Theme that I hear being used as the background music? Brilliant!!

[@dannlawrencellabore8060]

The oldest building on Earth are the friends we made along the way. Arguably.

[@moomeuh1342]

I've been in Ireland at the Carrowkeel Cairns, 3 of the 4 cairns are still standing, and you can go inside 2 of them and shelter from the bad weather. Scientists does not all agree about when they were constructed, some says it date from Neolithic others says -3500BC. I've got notes from a famous Irish archeologist that I met there, (and forgot his name, shame) but I can't find those atm to confirm or infirm any datation :( Anyway the place is beautyful and free do not miss it if you go Ireland !! Thanks for the vid Tim, great job! Next time in Bretagne I'll not miss it! (I will update my comment if I found these damn notes)

[@jwenting]

similar to the hunebedden in the Netherlands' province of Drenthe. They're about as old and some are pretty well preserved.

[@moomeuh1342]

@@jwenting thanks for the intel! but I can't find the precise location hunebedden seems to be the Dutch world for Dolmen

[@BrayTube]

There are several cairns in the Boyne Valley, on the other side of Ireland, that are about this same age, approx 4500BC. I'm sure Carrowkeel is around the same age. There are several thousand cairns throughout the whole island, with similarities to cairns in France and the UK. I've been inside a few intact ones on wet days and it was bone dry inside. It's hard to comprehend a dry stone roof that can keep out water for 6000 years!

[@TheAntinowherelane]

I'd argue for Derinkuyu underground city. It is technically carved into ground so it doesn't hit that very last 5th point of "constructed of materials" but is close enough imo.

[@jozefn1297]

I went there 8 years ago, but completely forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me about it.

[@teppo9585]

Well it´s arguably the oldest dating on a building, but there is a good number of buildings where the dating is less than on solid ground. Such are for example Barabar Caves, where you have ridiculously precisely finished man made caves that have relatively low quality inscriptions written on them. The inscriptions are fairly believably dated, but the caves themselves could be however old.

[@sh4dowchas3r]

Road builder " We need some stones for the road". Mayor "I know we've got just the thing. There's this massive pile just over here you can use. I'll get my bulldozer..." WTF?

[@RobertBeerbohm]

Fantastic! I love learning "new" (to me) earth lore!

[@lqr824]

to not do so would be a grave error

[@rheffner3]

Very entertaining and educational video. I subscribed- Thanks-

[@TheTimTraveller]

Thank you!

[@mats7492]

Nice touch with the Indiana jones theme

[@ADRgman]

Don’t forget the Bob the Builder theme too

[@frankupton5821]

If you're concerned about how ruined a building needs to be before it ceases to be a building, you are firmly in the grasp of the sorites paradox. If you removed those stones one at a time, there would apparently have to be a single stone whose removal triggered the change from 'building' to 'ruin'.

[@magnushmann]

Which is why he didn't do that, but instead gave more concrete classifiers, like a functional roof. One could argue that this is going backwards from a conclusion on some level, but on the other hand, he clearly doesn't seem to have any particular personal interest in this structure actually being the oldest building per se.

[@irvalfirestar6265]

easy, it's the final brick you remove that caused the building to collapse under gravity and become ruins

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

@@magnushmann Ah, but what if the roof has a hole in it? How big does the hole have to be for it not to be a roof?

[@magnushmann]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 It just has to have a roof at all... (This is still arbitrary in itself though)

[@frankupton5821]

@@magnushmann 'Functional' is another imprecise term. How leaky must a roof be before it ceases to be functional? Also, the Colosseum never had a roof, but it looks like a building - if it isn't a building, what is it?

[@eknuds]

The Dolmen of Menga in Antequera in Southern Spain is pretty close. It could still be habitable, including its neighbors on the same site. Plus the city's name hasn't changed very much since it was part of the Roman Empire. I've only been to eight of the buildings on the Wikipedia list. I'll have to keep working on it.

[@EricTheBody]

The thing that caught my eye in this video was the Obelix mug in the gift shop. I want one!

[@Kordanor]

To disqualify that tower as building seems to be a bit random to me. I guess same way you could say the Cairn is just a grave. In fact the french wiki states "Le cairn de Barnenez (Kerdi Bras en breton) est un monument", so with that it would disqualify itself. But I was also thinking about the houses without roofs and whether they are still building without these roofs. And that might depend on how the roof works I guess. If the roof was made out of stone, and it broke, yeah, it would be ruins. But what if the roof was made out of something which needed to be replaced every other year. Like some weak branches. Then you could consider that it's still a building even without the roof. The same way, that a remote control is still a remote control if the batteries are empty, and which you would naturally replace with almost no work involved.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Being a monument is not an automatic disqualification though. As someone else commented, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is both a monument and a building. And I'd say the Cairn is similar - it can be described as a monument, sure, but it has a function as a building too (a mausoleum). The difference is that the tower has no functional rooms or spaces inside it, only a staircase. Disqualification for me. But of course, this is all debatable... :)

[@Skilan506]

@@TheTimTraveller …and you were at the Cairn and not in Jericho, I think this also helped a bit in your decision making ;)

[@KNR90]

It depends on whether or not the building would remain functional for it's intended purpose without the roof. The definition of a remote control is not dependent on the state of the batteries. The definition of a building vs ruin is dependant on it's functionality

[@TheTimTraveller]

@@Skilan506 SHH DON'T TELL EVERYONE

[@orhin3231]

​@@TheTimTraveller Definitly. Also, people should be carefull when using similar words in 2 different languages. I'm not sure that "monument" has exactly the same meaning in French and English. In French it can definitly be a building

[@cyberwomble7524]

Odd coincidence, was looking up the oldest door in London the other day.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

I'm guessing it is in the Tower of London

[@cyberwomble7524]

@@Alex-cw3rz Turned out to be Westminster Abbey. The reason I was looking was that before the Isle of Dogs regenerated into Canary Wharf, there used to be a single old oak door that was fenced off in the middle of what is now probably a bank. Rumour had it that it was the oldest door in London. Sadly could find no info about it at all.

[@Runescope]

On the subject of one of your older videos. That being the canal that hauls boats uphill. I thought you might want to check out the Elbag Canal in Poland.

[@zanelindsay1267]

Very interesting. Arguably the oldest *known* surviving *accessible* "building". It should be noted that the mound apparently wasn't recognized as a "building" until quarrying operations exposed some inner chambers. Around 1850 it was identified as a burial mound and apparently it was considerably grown over before excavation in the mid 1950's (according to Wikipedia).

[@camillesayous1532]

I was born in Morlaix, grew up in a nearby town, I am a big fan of prehistoric history, and can't believe I've never even visited this place??? Plenty of amazing things to see in the area also, this is (arguably) the most beautiful region in the world 😍

[@fieldo85]

Gabarnmung in Australia. ~28,000 years old. Still standing. The building was constructed by tunneling into a cliff face that created a 19 m × 19 m (62 ft × 62 ft) ceiling which is supported by 36 pillars. Pillars were moved to new positions, some were reshaped and some removed. In some areas ceiling slabs were removed and repainted by the people. Tool marks on the ceiling and pillars clearly illustrate that the modifications served to provide a living space with the floor is covered in fine sand.

[@andyjay729]

One could say it "doesn't count" as a true building in that it was based on a preexisting naturally eroded cliff face, but then the cliff dwellings in the southwestern US were also built into eroded cliff faces, and that doesn't seem to diminish their "archaeological validity" as buildings. Tough call...

[@hedgehog3180]

@@andyjay729 I mean I don't think anyone would argue that a modern tunnel isn't a building. Plus there's a reason why we rarely build things into cliffs and rocks and that's because it's a lot more work than just constructing something on the ground so arguably this is more impressive.

[@hedgehog3180]

In general it's insane how ancient things in Australia are, especially considering humans arrived there only 50k years ago. Also how seemingly Aboriginal stories have been able to preserve the memory of long extinct animals which is pretty unique.

[@fieldo85]

​@@andyjay729 Agree, it's completely debatable, depending how you define a building. You could also argue Barnenez (the video topic) is not really a building, it serves no practical purpose and was never occupied by living peoples. To my mind that's more of a monument. But each to their own. Just thought it was an interesting and little known example to discuss. :)

[@compphysgeek]

I was about to comment that if there is an older building it had to be found in Australia

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

The oldest building in the world is Gobeki Teple which is approximately 11,500 years old. "Göbekli Tepe was built and occupied during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN)-the earliest division of the Neolithic period in Southwest Asia-which is dated to between 9600 and 7000 BCE. ... Klaus Schmidt's view was that Göbekli Tepe is a stone-age mountain sanctuary. Radiocarbon dating as well as comparative stylistic analysis indicate that it contains the oldest known megaliths yet discovered anywhere and that *these ruins may constitute the remains of a temple.*"(From Wikipedia) Since a temple is a building...

[@stevensugars3957]

@The Tim Traveller Gobekli Tepe was founded around 9,500 BCE and abandoned about 1,500 years later around 8,000 BCE. That beats Cairn de Barnenez by about 4,700 years.

[@meh3247]

I once played the most atmospheric gig of my life in the West Kennet Longbarrow at Silbury Hill - but that was built in the 37th century BC, so is practically a Starbucks in comparison to this! Nice find old boy! (arguably)

[@melodeonman]

Just a nod to the Time Team theme at 3:30 🤠

[@Jobotubular]

nice touch adding the Time Team theme behind the ancient archeological competition (and of course the Indiana Jones theme more prominently elsewhere)

[@nmarks]

Love the cover of the Time Team theme! 🤣🤣