It says windhelm is the oldest city yet markarth is dwemer?

Oldest continually inhabited nord city, I'd reckon. Markarth was abandoned and probably resettled much later by nords.

Thanks

I do believe it also says oldest human city. Appropriate spot for Ulfric, I reckon.

Windhelm was also built during a time when the Dwemer were still kicking around, so a Dwemer city isn't necessarily older anyway.

A loading screen says it may be the oldest human city, but according to legend Saarthal is the first city built by Nords after the Return, so given what we know of Windhelm's history I'd say it's younger. It *could* be older; there's just no evidence either way that I've seen.

And like Doubler says, Markarth isn't necessarily older.

Oldest inhabited city.

We read in the Songs of the Return that Windhelm was built by order of Ysgramor himself. If that's true it definitely predates the disappearance of the Dwemer (as well as clan Rourken's exile) by hundreds of years, and is quite possibly the first city to be built after the sack of Saarthal.

I really wouldn't underestimate just how old these Nord places might be.

Ah, cool. I haven't read the Songs yet. Looking forward to doing so.

Sarthaal was built before the first age, if I'm not mistaken. Windhelm might also have been.

Weren't Windhelm and Sarthaal both built before the First Era? What year BFE did time solidify?

Makarth couldn't have been built before 1E 400. The Dwemer hadn't settled that far from Morrowind at that point.

Using the TIL timeline as a quick reference (which I think needs to be updated/revised) and going off my vague memory of lore books I've read, I'd say Windhelm and Saarthal were built between ME 1000 to 1E 143, 1E 113 or maybe even 1E 68. A very broad range, I know, but it's something.

ME 1000 is around the time of Ysgramor's landing, so Saarthal was built not too long after that. Then Saarthal got sacked during the Night of Tears, but no date has been given for that event, or if Windhelm existed before or after it happened.

1E 68 is apparently the date given for the arrival of the last ships from Atmora, so Windhelm might have existed at that time. And, seeing how Windhelm served as Skyrim's first capital, it definitely existed when Harald became King, which, according to PGE3 and a few other books, was in 1E 113 (though that might be Harald's birthdate. Did he live for 108 years, or rule for 108 years?), and according the timeline, was in 1E 143.



Aaaand that's my guess after skimming through some books and a possibility outdated/inaccurate timeline. I'm going to go read Song of the Return now.

EDIT: Well, while Song didn't give any dates, it's clear that Windhelm was built a good while after Saarthal was destroyed. You make those elves work, Ysgramor! I bet he used their bodies as the mortar.

That seems pretty clear that no Dwemer monument could possibly be older. Not in Skyrim at least.