If you’ve spent time with a trivia buff who loves to drop interesting historical tidbits into conversation, you may have come across the claim that the University of Oxford is older than the Aztec Empire.
It's completely true. According to the University of Oxford, the earliest classes were taught in 1096, making Oxford the oldest continuously operating university in the English-speaking world. In comparison, the Aztec Empire came along relatively recently, having been founded in 1428. (For the record, other Mesoamerican societies existed centuries before the Aztecs; for example, the Maya civilization lasted from around 2,000 BC to 1697 AD).
It's also worth noting that Oxford is younger than several other institutions of higher learning, some of which still exist today. Of course, the definition of “university” has changed over the years, and applying it retrospectively has its challenges. However, academic historians agree that in the Western world, the University of Bologna, located in Bologna, Italy, has been the site of teaching outside of ecclesiastical schools since 1088, making it slightly older than Oxford.
While the early history of these medieval institutions is somewhat murky, they were well established by the 13th century, along with several others across Europe, including the University of Cambridge, the University of Paris, the University of Salamanca, and the University of Padua.
However, Guinness World Records and UNESCO both recognize a more ancient institution as the world's oldest still-operating institution of higher learning. Located in Fez, Morocco, the University of Al Quaraouiyine was founded as a mosque in 859 AD (possibly at the behest of Fatima al-Fihriya, the daughter of a wealthy merchant) and became an important center of learning during the Islamic Golden Age. Though scholars debate when formal teaching began at the site, by the 13th and 14th centuries, it had a broad curriculum that taught not only the Quran and Islamic jurisprudence but also sciences including medicine, rhetoric, mathematics, and astronomy.
Class dismissed:
- The University of Al Quaraouiyine was reorganized as a modern university and brought into Morocco’s state education system by royal decree in 1963.
- Although numerous institutions of higher learning existed in the ancient world, most academic scholars are hesitant to describe them as universities. The term "university" denotes specific structural and legal features, including academic freedom, degree-granting ability, and independence from ecclesiastical and royal oversight.
- The Venetian philosopher Elena Cornaro Piscopia is thought to be one of the first women in the world to earn an academic degree from a university. She was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Padua in 1678.
