5 Ancient Ideas That Still Shape Our World

From law and politics to architecture and language, Rome’s legacy still defines the way we live and think today.
5 Ancient Ideas That Still Shape Our World
Visitors rest beneath the remains of the Artemis & Leto, Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany. Ron Watts/Getty Images
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Probably no other civilization has shaped the Western world more than the ancient Romans did.

At the peak of the Roman empire, when its borders stretched from the foggy hills of northern Britain to the winding waterways of the Nile, upwards of 60 million people lived under the sign of the eagle. The Romans left traces of their influence on all the people they ruled and, taken together, had a profound impact on Western culture as a whole.

Walker Larson
Walker Larson
Author
Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master's in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, "Hologram" and "Song of Spheres."