Greatest Ancient Roman contribution(s) to the world

What is/are the greatest Roman contribution(s) to the modern world?

  • The Julian Calendar (including current names of the months)

    Votes: 1 33.3%
  • The Roman alphabet (the world's most widespread writing system)

    Votes: 1 33.3%
  • Latin language and descendants + influence on other European languages

    Votes: 3 100.0%
  • The Roman legal system (basis of many European legal system to this day)

    Votes: 2 66.7%
  • The Republic & Senate (inspiration for modern democracies)

    Votes: 3 100.0%
  • Architectural styles (arches & columns, domes, sculptures, frescoes, mosaics...)

    Votes: 2 66.7%
  • Aqueducts and viaducts (the world's first bridges to cross valleys)

    Votes: 1 33.3%
  • Concrete/mortar/cement

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Efficient highway system (still followed today by modern roads)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Thermal baths, central heating and floor heating

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mass entertainment : stadiums & amphitheatres (ancestors of modern stadiums)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Festivals (Carnival, Christmas, etc. all have Roman origins)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The 3 course meal (starter, main dish, desert)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Wine-making (creating a lasting tradition in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Romania...)

    Votes: 1 33.3%
  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    3
Haha.. Vallicanus is living in Fantasia..

http://www.slocanvalley.com/

To be precise...

http://www.slocanvalley.com/vallican.php

Canada British Columbia
A Cannuck!

Not Scottish, like I told you all before.
A Sassenach.
A troll.
------
And to make things more spicy..
I have family in Canada. Nova Scotia and Ontario, who are both Southern Dutch and Scots.
Friendly blokes the Scots. :grin:
 
In Portugal, Al-Andalus is generally interpreted as meaning land of the Vandals. The Vandals had control of Southern Iberia for a time, until they were driven out by the Visigoths.


I too hold to that position referring to the Vandals. That was an area that they occupied prior to moving to Africa.
When 'Al-Andalus' is declared as a province, the Arabs were applying that name to the entire area and seemd to have ignored the parts ruled by the Visigoths.
 
Why?

It dissolved into a century of on-off civil war.

Well I certainly never expected to have to qualify my position on this thread.

It is more than obvious that their Republican style of government lasted from the time of the expulsion of the Etruscans until it succumbed to its own inability to administer its huge empire that it had by the time of the civil wars.
It produced many great statesmen, a strong tradition of laws, scores of courageous soldiers and leaders, and more. Its reputation was so that even after the Empire itself took hold, the Romans still maintained much of the Republican machinery or forms of administration.

That really was a silly question. The Empire itself fell after roughly the same amount of time of existence as the Republic. Few systems in other nations lasted as long as did the Republic.

From a logical perspective, how could one use a government’s downfall after scores of generations to say that the system itself was not worth admiring? We could by extension rule out essentially every other system ever made by that logic.

 
But in the Dark Ages after the fall of Rome. All it's Advances got lost as we reverted back to old ways. maybe caused by a lack of sharing technology and keeping engineering aspects in Roman hands just a thought
 
Well out of the list given I`d say aqueducts and concrete. There were roads already but they were not of a high standard so yes the Romans improved on them. I admire the many skills the army had..they moved onto land and had defenses up in a short time. They were a well organised unit and they were certainly a well trained army perfect in strategies. However I dislike their social culture. Women had no rights and no voice, children who were not wanted were "dumped" in a spot in the town centre and this was viewed as fine. The arena where horrible blood sports were enjoyed, I find abhorrent. So military matters and organisation and the ability to get things done they were first class. In the moral sphere I find them "savage" and "lacking"
 
Well out of the list given I`d say aqueducts and concrete. There were roads already but they were not of a high standard so yes the Romans improved on them. I admire the many skills the army had..they moved onto land and had defenses up in a short time. They were a well organised unit and they were certainly a well trained army perfect in strategies. However I dislike their social culture. Women had no rights and no voice, children who were not wanted were "dumped" in a spot in the town centre and this was viewed as fine. The arena where horrible blood sports were enjoyed, I find abhorrent. So military matters and organisation and the ability to get things done they were first class. In the moral sphere I find them "savage" and "lacking"[/QU
Romans gave the world the script. Elegant and eye pleasing invention. And after Figlio di Bonacci or Fibonacy as we are used to see his name in math books gave us the numerals. So whatever we write today numerals or letters are the inventions of Italics. When printing was invented by Germans the whole ingredients of education were in place. That's why the west charged ahead with inventions and innovations.
 
Romans gave the world the script. Elegant and eye pleasing invention. And after Figlio di Bonacci or Fibonacy as we are used to see his name in math books gave us the numerals. So whatever we write today numerals or letters are the inventions of Italics. When printing was invented by Germans the whole ingredients of education were in place. That's why the west charged ahead with inventions and innovations
 
I'd vote for their ability to "organize to the smallest detail". Organizing everything from political institutions, city planning, military, aqueducts, and foreign affairs. They were able to take everybody else's achievements and make it more organized and efficient. The Roman eye for detail was their greatest contribution to modern society, because it lead to everything else.
 
In my opinion concrete, arches and viaducts are the most important.
I doubt that they invented wine. Mass entertainment was established in ancient Greece before.
But Romans brought civilization to barbaric Europe at that time.
 
In my opinion concrete, arches and viaducts are the most important.
I doubt that they invented wine. Mass entertainment was established in ancient Greece before.
But Romans brought civilization to barbaric Europe at that time.

IMO, no, the Romans were the barbarians, and they destroyed much of value throughout western Europe. But they did invent concrete, apparently.
 
No, your a barbarian Aberdeen: we taught you e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.! And we taught Europe what being dominated means. Crushing bugs under our feet you know? And btw the Etruscans taught the Romans who taught the Greeks who taught the Gauls how to make wine. The first viticulture in Europe was as that of the Etruscans of turkey that settled north-central Italy but who would later on be heavily replaced by invading Celtic people's.
 
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No, your a barbarian Aberdeen: we taught you e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.! And we taught Europe what being dominated means. Crushing bugs under our feet you know? And btw the Etruscans taught the Romans who taught the Greeks who taught the Gauls how to make wine. The first viticulture was that of the Etruscans of turkey that settled north-central Italy but who would later on be heavily replaced by invading Celtic people's.

As usual, you're wrong. Except for the part about the Etruscans teaching the Romans architecture, etc. But the Greeks already knew how to make wine before the Romans learned how to wipe their own asses. And the Celts actually had advanced civilizations - what they lacked is the kind of central government that would have allowed them to effectively defend themselves against the soul-less Roman barbarians.
 
As usual, I'm wrong. Except for basically everything I just wrote XD. I need to give this guy the moniker wrong-Berdeen. The first traces of viticulture appeared in the Caucasus region, in modern day Armenia and Georgia.
 
I think your just jealous of a culture that defeated yours and more ; )
 
Too many to list...when considering how to spend the money from refunds on returned Christmas gifts, (you know...that hideous sweater or tie) I would recommend...The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization-Bryan Ward-Perkins...excellent read, and not too academic.

Aberdeen...is that kind of rudeness really necessary? It was a long time ago, you know...

And you're talking about different levels of civilization...
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Acy-Romance-rec.jpg
http://vimeo.com/32038695

Then there's literacy, an essential requirement of civilization, and I could go on, but I won't...it's o.k...every group has its time in the sun, and every group gets eclipsed...look what happened to the great British Empire and what is continuing to happen to Britain...it's wise to keep that in mind and take the long view of history...actually, perhaps we should all consider learning Chinese. :)
 
Roman is not an ethnicity or tribe - its a right;

And the Romans (essentially Bronze-age Indo-Europeans Umbrians/Latins / hence the language) did adopt a lot from the Greeks;
First via the Etruscans (Alphabet / Mythology) and than via the conquests Magnesia 190 BC / Pydna 168 BC and also before Magna Graecia and Sicily/Syracuse;

Greeks considered the ancestors of the Romans to be Barbarians (Dionysius I/XIII) and folks like the Ligurians who were granted the Roman citizenship collectively in the 1st cen BC (thus Romans) were still dwelling in caves;

IMO the killing of Archimedes, destruction and plunder of the Temple (Jerusalem) and the burning of the Alexandria Library (though prob. just an accident) were the most Barbarious things they ever did;

Thats my 2 sesterces;
 
Sorry but the Roman Empire achieve a greatness that Ancient Greece or Britain never would, this is, if we exclude the 19th century onwards of course (in what concerns the Brits.)
 
The Romans were weak when fighting in Italy. This was proven over and over with much smaller armies beating them in their own soil, examples: Hanibal, Pyrhus, Spartacus, The Huns, etc. Somehow they were great in conquering others thou, maybe because they used extensively "divide and conquer" strategies.
 
No, they were just one Celtic tribe (italic) at the start; they didn't have enough men until several other people's on the peninsula were incorporated into them (subjugated would be the word.) do you think they could have taken on all of Gaul for example, just with the original Latin tribe? Lol. Your right. The Carthaginians had a good run on the peninsula, but then look what Rome did. Put an end to Carthage.
 

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