How do Institutions and civilizations of the past continue to impact our world?

Question

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Answer 1

Well, the Romans gave us an organised military, a form of capitalism and a method of transportation (paved roads for fast transportation of goods and arms).

In a sense, the romans gave us everything we see in present day, although undoubtedly the romans got their ideas from somewhere else.

Answer 2

Egypt ... they say that's where the bible started .. it was called the dead sea scrolls . That scroll has been written and rewritten countless of times by many cultures around the globe.. The impact of Egypt is all around us. They were the first group to make sewers systems and water aeration. The Egyptians are also the first to preserve their dead by burial and manifest laws for their culture to follow, for order.They also practiced medicine and held court hearing .. Many things impact us from Egypt, but the one thing I want to point out is their Mathematics. Before most cultures the egyptians math allowed them to  make brilliant structures and build elaborate works of art.... We can see that the impact of Egypt is very deep in our culture...because we mimic some the most important things they have left behind... they are impacting us... day by day..

Answer 3

Many parts of our language and cultural behaviors come from very long ago.

I won't get started on the oppression of women and minorities, but here's a cool example of how our figures of speech got their roots:

When the U.S. was being colonized, malaria was rampant.  People would go into comas for so long, doctors would pronounce people clinially dead, even if they weren't.  Later, when they re-opened their family tomb, they realized by markings on the wall, etc. they had buried some people alive.  

To prevent this from happening, there was a bell attached from inside the tomb to the outside, upper world.  There was always a watchman in the cemetary there to listen for the bell.  They even had someone listen at night, working the "graveyard shift."  When they heard a "dead ringer," the person was exhumed, and thus, "saved by the bell."