Greatest Ancient Roman contribution(s) to the world
Not to confuse with the greatest Italian contributions to the world, here are now the ancient inventions, improvements and systems developed by the Romans that have had an influence on today's world.
A few explanations.
Architectural styles : the Roman were inspired by the Greeks. But they were the ones to use extensively the arch, mosaics and frescoes. They built the largest free-standing dome in the world until the 20th century (the Pantheon in Rome, 43m of diametre, or 1m wider than the Bruneleschi's Duomo in Firenze).
Aqueducts and viaducts merit a separate category. They were the ancestors of modern viaduct (suspension bridges, etc.). Aqueducts would bring drinkable water from hundreds of kilometres away and were designed with just the right inclination so that the water would not run too fast (and erode the stone), nor too slow (and evaporate or become muddy). Combined with canalisations and sewers, they enabled a city like Rome to sustain a population of over 1 million.
The Romans developed spectator sports beyond anything seen until then. The Greeks invented the Olympic Games (incl. stadiums), but the Romans gave us the idea of mass entertainment.
The Roman highways were so straight, plane and resistant that some are still used nowadays (e.g. Via Appia). Many modern European highways follow the old Roman highways, as they used the most direct route to connect cities (and most Roman cities still exist nowadays).
Wine-making was not invented by the Romans, but they planted so many vines throughout the empire, that they created a tradition in France, south-western Germany and Mediteranean countries lasting to this day. The world's greatest wines are direct heirs to Roman wines.
The Roman weren't the first to come up with central or floor heating or hot baths, but they certainly spread its used across the empire. Ironically, it is the Japanese who are fans of hot springs and baths nowadays, not the Europeans. But famous thermal springs still exist in Europe, and were especially popular in the 19th century. Some have Roman origins.
The Roman Senate was supposedly founded by Romulus 2756 years ago. The Republic is "only" 2514 years old, but was one of the oldest such system in the world, and one that deeply influenced modern democratic states. The Greek idea of "democracy" is probably further from the current "democratic" system than was the elitist Roman Republic (in fact, politicians nowadays are almost always the same few oligarchs, like in Roman times).
The Julian Calendar, name after its inventor (Gaius Julius "Caesar"), is almost identical to the modern Western calendar reformed by Pope Gregory 1600 years later, and still used by many national Orthodox churches. It has/had all the current months, which names all have meanings in Latin : January (from "Janus", god of the beginning of times), February (from "Februa" a Roman festival), March (from "Mars", the god of war), April (from "aprire" meaning "open", referring to the blossoming of spring), May (from "Maia", goddess of the fertility), June (from "Juno", goddess of women and marriage, hence the expression "June bride"), July (from Julius Caesar himself), August (from emperor Augustus), September ("7th", as March was the 1st month at the time, and September was thus the 7th month), October ("8th"), etc.
The Romans seem to have been the ones to introduce the system of 3-course meal (starter, main dish, desert), inherited by most Western cultures. Note that in India, China, Japan, etc. there is no such tradition.
I'd have to go with highways(even more useful now then in Roman times due to cars), aqueducts(the basics of modern plumbing and arched bridges in one go), architectural styles(the Romans constructed many great buildings/structures that still stand today), and of course, the 3-course meal!(I can't seem to live without it! )
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I think you mean appetizer, not starter.
Well, according to the Cooking Master Boy anime (an anime about Chinese cooking), 18th century Chinese have a 3 or 4-course meal (first: appetizer, second: dessert, third and/or fourth: main dishes. That was what I had observed on the judges' table during a cooking contest in one of the Cooking Master Boy episodes.
No I mean starter (even if that is British English), not appetizer. Appetizers are small dishes or food (e.g. crisps, olives, prunes in bacon...) eaten with an aperitif (e.g. Campari, Martini, Champagne...) before the starters. Starters may be soup, salad, or other small dishes. Appetizers are more common when inviting someone at home than in restaurants.
Well, I have just returned from a trip to China yesterday, and as is usually in alll real Chinese restaurant around the world, the Chinese indeed eat many dishes (sometimes called "course", although this is misleading here), which they all bring at the same time on a revolving table and are shared by al the guests. The sweets are brought in together with the soup and meat & vegetable dishes. In some Chinese restaurants in Western countries, dishes may be brought one after the other, but in that case there are more than 3 courses (maybe 5, 10 or even 20).
Note that the French broke with Roman tradition by adding "cheese" between the main dish and desert.
Well I'm no fan of the Romans... so I would point out that few of the advances mentioned were first to appear among the Romans. Harappan urban design was far superior, plumbing of course existed among many civilizations, including the Aztecs, who also had water-delivery systems bringing fresh water to their island capital from the hills.
Roman social organization has affected Europe quite negatively, being the basis for the aristocratic class structure and slave/serf economies which were disastrous for European people and have inflicted much pain upon the world generally since Columbus.
What is more generally overlooked is the great contribution of not only "Celtic" but also more indigenous European societies. Too often the schools pretend that European roots are all in Greece and Rome, and ignore the rest... this is not accurate... any more than are the Greek and Roman disparagements of the Celts and other "barbarians".
I'll second that emotion... Classical scholars have been overly-biased toward Greco-Roman culture. e.g. The 'Dark Ages' in England have been dismissed as a black hole, whereas there were many aspects of Anglo Saxon culture way ahead of the times; including equal property rights for women. I reckon these biases are still prevalent in academic circles.
Believe it or not, the Germanics, particularly the Visigoths and Suevi, made some interesting contributions in Iberia; in agriculture, property rights and legal structure.
I doubt so. The Moors had little influence at all over European culture outside Iberia. Iberia was quite isolated from the rest of Europe during the Middle Ages.
It is weird that the Moors should have had a three-course meal, as modern Maghreban and Arabic cultures usually lack it. Arabic and Moor cuisine is/was so different from European cuisine that it is hardly conceivable.
Roman culture evolved with time, and wasn't the same in all regions and social classes. But, rich Romans during the Empire's period, at least in Western Europe, did generally have a three-course meal.
Greatest Ancient Roman contribution(s) to the world
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Classical scholars have been overly-biased toward Greco-Roman culture. e.g. The 'Dark Ages' in England have been dismissed as a black hole, whereas there were many aspects of Anglo Saxon culture way ahead of the times; including equal property rights for women. I reckon these biases are still prevalent in academic circles.
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