What do you think?

[longshotgene]

I love asking these questions. What do you think is the most valuable tool, machine, process or invention the Romans created that we still use today? Personally, I think it is the idea of the Plebian and Patrician classes. This system is what America has based its 'House of Representatives' and Senatorial class off of. Most of America's political structure minus that detestable concept of 'Democracy' (Being Greek in nature and given to the U.S. by F.D.R.) came from the Romans. Without it, what would the U.S. be based off of?

[Faustus]

Hydraulic concrete.

[Ingsoc]

The Patrician-Plebian division lost it's importance after the early Republic.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Salve, LSG

I love asking these questions. What do you think is the most valuable tool, machine, process or invention the Romans created that we still use today?

Undoubtedly their legal system; Gaius (aka Gai), Paulus, Ulpianus, Florus, Cassius, Antistius and many other Justinian kids are still non-optional classes in most Universities all over the world.

Personally, I think it is the idea of the Plebian and Patrician classes. This system is what America has based its 'House of Representatives' and Senatorial class off of. Most of America's political structure minus that detestable concept of 'Democracy' (Being Greek in nature and given to the U.S. by F.D.R.) came from the Romans. Without it, what would the U.S. be based off of?

Castes (hereditary social classes) were widespread in the past long before Rome and they are still prevalent in many countries.

The actual Roman contribution would be its quite early dilution and dissapearance, to the point that it has almost dissapeared by the time the surviving historical records began.

In fact, we still don't have an entirely satisfactory definition for what a patricius was (and by exclusion, a pleb).

[longshotgene]

Even in countries like the U.S. there exists examples of the caste system. It is the rare case where a man breaks out of the mold he finds himself in to become someone famous and rich. People point to Bill Gates in a lot of instances, but his family was already very well to do. The only instance of someone really breaking the mold in the world today I can think of is J.K. Rowling. This woman lived on rock-bottom for a long time. Her creation of Harry Potter changed that. I think the difference between the caste systems of say India and the United States is a state of rigidity. In the U.S. things are less rigid. It is interesting that you bring up the concept of patricius Asclepiades. My Latin teacher always told me it was a title reserved for the 'fathers' of Rome. It is the equivelant of the 'Sons and Daughters' of the American Revolution. They are the people who fought to make the country what it is.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Even in countries like the U.S. there exists examples of the caste system. It is the rare case where a man breaks out of the mold he finds himself in to become someone famous and rich. People point to Bill Gates in a lot of instances, but his family was already very well to do. The only instance of someone really breaking the mold in the world today I can think of is J.K. Rowling. This woman lived on rock-bottom for a long time. Her creation of Harry Potter changed that. I think the difference between the caste systems of say India and the United States is a state of rigidity. In the U.S. things are less rigid. It is interesting that you bring up the concept of patricius Asclepiades. My Latin teacher always told me it was a title reserved for the 'fathers' of Rome. It is the equivelant of the 'Sons and Daughters' of the American Revolution. They are the people who fought to make the country what it is.

The problem is then how you define a "caste"; even if sociology is not an exact science, that doesn't mean we can use any term at our caprice.

 

if we accept that it is "an endogamous and hereditary social group limited to persons of the same rank, occupation, economic position, etc., and having mores distinguishing it from other such groups", I think it's difficult to find evidence of its existence in most modern societies, US included.

 

"I have no race prejudice. I think I have no color prejudices or caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. Indeed, I know it. I can stand any society. All that I care to know is that a man is a human being -- that is enough for me; he can't be any worse.

[Kosmo]

I love asking these questions. What do you think is the most valuable tool, machine, process or invention the Romans created that we still use today?

Undoubtedly their legal system; Gaius (aka Gai), Paulus, Ulpianus, Florus, Cassius, Antistius and many other Justinian kids are still non-optional classes in most Universities all over the world.

 

I fully agree.

[Vibius Tiberius Costa]

In my opinion, the most important invention has to be central heating, even if the Romans didn't wholly invent it their adaptations are the key.

I also would say the riot shield is based on that of the roman scuta, i suppose the rounded shield has to be fairly important

 

vtc

[caldrail]

The Patrician-Plebian division lost it's importance after the early Republic.

 

I think not. The division in roman class is apparent right to the end, and the only reason it got muddied was because the older patrician families tended to die out. Even the late romans speculated that the senate was filled with the descendants of slaves. The romans were after all very class concious, and although by the Principate they liked to appear egalitarian and generous toward the poor, privilege was still a desirable motive in roman society. In fact, in the legions the division between upper and lower classes was far stronger during the empire after the professional army was instituted, and the older militia style armies dispensed with. Augustus reinforced the cnage in the manner with which he addressed his legions, a change which Suetonius notes was precedental.

 

Regarding an earlier post - the romans didn't really invent patrician-plebian classes since this division is merely a manifestation of typical human social order. All human societies develop pecking orders.

[Northern Neil]

What about our alphabet? Despite the addition of a lower case and one or two new characters, it is the one the Romans gave us, and is now used by more than half the world.

[Ursus]

What about our alphabet? Despite the addition of a lower case and one or two new characters, it is the one the Romans gave us, and is now used by more than half the world.

 

 

The Latin alphabet and the solar calendar are undoubtedly two of the lasting and useful legacies of Rome.

 

I'll also second someone's mention of concrete, as well as Roman architecture in general which made great use of the arch and vault. Can't imagine Western architecture without it.

 

Ovid and Virgil were major influences on later Western literature.

 

If I lived in Continental Europe I might also mention Latin and Roman Law, but living in a former British colony one feels their influences somewhat less.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Salve, NN

What about our alphabet? Despite the addition of a lower case and one or two new characters, it is the one the Romans gave us, and is now used by more than half the world.

90% or more of the Latin alphabet predates Rome and even the Latin language itself; the Latins almost assuredly adopted the Cumae variant of the Greek alphabet (circa VII century BC?); READ MORE.

 

Even if the alphabet as a standardized phonetic writing system may be the most significant isolated human contribution ever, it was presumably invented just once, as it seems to have been the case for the wheel too.

 

Available archaeological evidence traces back the "once" to the Phoenician or pre-Phoenician ("proto-canaanite") area and culture circa 2000 BC, in the overlap of the Egyptian hieroglyphic and the Sumerian cuneiform systems.

 

Arguably all subsequent alphabets (and most definitively the Latin) were and are its descendants.

Edited September 30, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES

[ASCLEPIADES]

I'll also second someone's mention of concrete, as well as Roman architecture in general which made great use of the arch and vault. Can't imagine Western architecture without it.

Even if the Roman concrete was an impressive improvement over the bonding substances used by previous cultures, it hardly made any technological contribution to later European civilization, as such technique was lost at least from the V century AD; our modern concrete was an independent British development from the XVIII century.

Edited September 30, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES

[ASCLEPIADES]

If I lived in Continental Europe I might also mention Latin and Roman Law, but living in a former British colony one feels their influences somewhat less.

Regarding the historical rise of the common law in England.

Edited December 2, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES

[ASCLEPIADES]

Salve, VTC

In my opinion, the most important invention has to be central heating, even if the Romans didn't wholly invent it their adaptations are the key.

How to build your own hypocaust