Even after its demise, much of the legacy left by Ancient Rome remained alive due to the absorption by the conquering peoples, especially the Germanic formed in the Middle Ages with the barbarian invasion of the 4th and v.
The expansion of this knowledge also crossed oceans with the great navigations, reaching the American, African and Asian continents. The Roman legacy, today, influences important aspects of Western culture, with emphasis on Law and Linguistics.
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Roman alphabet and numbers
Ancient Rome's important contribution begins with something basic: the alphabet. To this day, Western civilizations are based on the Roman alphabet, even in countries whose language does not have a Latin matrix, such as German.
The Roman numeral system, or numerals, was also created in Ancient Rome. Even though their current use is restricted to secular references or official documents, Roman numerals are taught in school.
For the purposes of knowledge, the Roman numeral system consists of seven capital letters of the Latin alphabet: I, V, X, L, C, D and M.
Right
The Romans were responsible for creating laws that later originated the Legal Codes. The action was necessary for the administration and organization of the component cities of the Empire.
The Codes, then, constituted Roman Law which, in turn, was divided into three categories:
Public Law even gave rise to the Civil Code, widely used by contemporary Western societies. The contributions don't stop there. Expressions adopted in legislation originate from Roman law.
Have you noticed that they are all written in Latin? There it is, the reason! Therefore, know that words like habeas corpus, stricto sensu habeas data, juris tantum and vacatio legis are part of the Roman legacy for Law.
Architecture and Engineering
Have you stopped to analyze the grandeur of the Roman Coliseum? Or the various monuments spread across Italian historic centers? The ability to build palaces, temples, amphitheaters, public buildings, stadiums, roads and even aqueducts was so great that many of these constructions are still standing today.
Returning to the roads, the size of the Roman Empire justifies such resourcefulness. An efficient terrestrial communication system was needed to link all the cities that made up the occupied territory.
Even if improved, the engineering and architectural techniques used at that time still influence contemporary builders. Just take a look at how many buildings are inspired by the works of ancient Rome.
Languages
The official language of ancient Rome was Latin, both for writing and speaking. With the fall of the Roman Empire and the invasion of the Germanic peoples, other languages originated from Latin.
Examples are French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Romanian, called Neo-Latin or Romance languages. Ah, do you know where else Latin is present? In scientific names? Have you noticed expressions like homo sapiens or Apis mellifera scutellata?
Well, its use to name species of plants and animals was chosen as a way of regulating nomenclatures.
Visual arts
Even those who have never set foot in Italy know how many sculptures representing the human body are scattered around squares, museums and monuments. These works are the influence of another very important era for contemporary times, Ancient Greece.
The reproduction of the human body, seeking to realistically portray natural elements is present in paintings and sculptures. During the Middle Ages, the plastic arts were slightly forgotten, but they came back to the fore with the Renaissance to be preserved by later artistic schools.
Calendar
The calendar, as we know it today, with 365 days divided into 12 months, is a legacy of Ancient Rome. The invention is authored by Emperor Julio Cesar. The names of the months, too, are from that time.
