define "oldest time of your countrys history"?

Oldest time the country as we know existed, earliest predecessor in roughly the same geographic location(and language predecessor?)?? or any other potential

Because if we go "country as we know" then in my case thats either 1949, or 1990 depending if the reunification constitutes when "germany" as we know it really started or if the founding of the federal republic(west germany) in 1949 suffices. otherwise 1871 would be potentialy the case(unification of germany into the german empire) HECK throw weimar into the mix and w ealso have 1919 as apossible startpoint