Ancient Civilizations That Still Influence Us Today

Ancient Civilizations That Still Influence Us Today


June 2, 2025 | Jillian Kent

Ancient Civilizations That Still Influence Us Today


The Past Is Still Present

We often think of the past as gone forever; after all, the past is the past. However, we are influenced by what comes before us every single day. Even civilizations gone for millennia still have subtle effects on modern life. Here are just a few ancient civilizations that still influence us today.

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The Sumerians

If not for the Sumerian civilization, none of our current societies would exist today. The Sumerians and their homeland of ancient Mesopotamia are referred to as the “Cradle of Civilization”, with good reason.

Sumeriansben bryant, Shutterstock

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The Sumerians

Civilizations began settling around the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (in modern-day West Asia) around 10,000 BC. This area was superb for planting and growing, leading to it being referred to as the “Fertile Cresent”. It also allowed these civilizations to prosper, growing large cities around 4500 BC.

SumeriansMary Harrsch, Flickr

The Sumerians

Three of the major Sumerian cities that have been identified by modern historians are Eridu, Uruk, and Ur. They could not have existed if the land was not so fertile. The ability to cultivate an excess of crops allowed the populations in this area to boom, creating cities without starving its members.

File:Ancient ziggurat at Ali Air Base Iraq 2005.jpgen:User:Hardnfast, Wikimedia Commons

The Sumerians

It was in these cities, with their tall temple and palace complexes, that civilization as we know it today began to flourish. Well-fed and supported by their communities, the Sumerians had the freedom to begin to develop the nuances of society that we see today.

File:معبد كاريوس ...اوروك .... مدينة الوركاء ... المثنى.jpgOsama alqasab, Wikimedia Commons

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The Sumerians

The ancient Sumerians are credited with creating the first written word. Using clay tablets, they scratched out a writing system called “cuneiform”. This allowed them to track their grain, as well as share their culture—all happening as far back as 5,000 years ago.

File:Sales contract Shuruppak Louvre AO3766.jpgUnknown artistUnknown artist, Wikimedia Commons

The Sumerians

Sumerians had some of the earliest examples of mathematics, astronomy, and astrology. They created schools, invented irrigation, and had early codified laws. Moreover, you owe time to the Sumerians. They created the concept of time as broken down into hours, minutes, and seconds, which we still use today.

File:Uruk Archaeological site at Warka.jpgSAC Andy Holmes (RAF), Wikimedia Commons

The Indus Valley

Not far from Mesopotamia’s fertile valley, another culture was beginning to blossom in the area known today as India and Pakistan. Only a few thousand years behind the Sumerians, cultures began to bloom along the Indus River Valley around 7000 BC.

Ancient India FactsWikimedia Commons

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The Indus Valley

The settlements of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were a few centuries too late to be credited as the first cities. That honor still goes to the Sumerians. However, the civilizations of the Indus Valley improved upon the concept that the Sumerians started.

File:Mohenjo-daro.jpgSaqib Qayyum, Wikimedia Commons

The Indus Valley

Today, in most modern cities, we walk down the streets without sparing a thought for where our water comes from, or where our “waste” goes. Sewers and water treatment are considered standard expectations. However, without the civilizations in the Indus Valley, we may never have had these.

File:Great bath view Mohenjodaro.JPGSaqib Qayyum, Wikimedia Commons

The Indus Valley

The cities of the Indus Valley were clean, spacious, and organized, despite housing anywhere from 40,000–50,000 individuals. They kept their cities clean through sewer and water supply systems that show a sophistication similar to modern times.

File:Mohen Jo Daro.JPGWah1d Abbas, Wikimedia Commons

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The Indus Valley

The evidence left behind in the Indus Valley shows a civilization that planned their cities carefully. Their streets formed neat grids, and their bricks all met a uniformity that suggest standardized weight and measuring systems.

File:Remaining city of Mohenjo Daro.jpgNawabtanweer, Wikimedia Commons

The Indus Valley

The Indus Valley still has its secrets. While they too had a writing system, no modern historian has yet been able to decipher it; some of their knowledge remains lost with them forever.

File:Unicorn with object. Mohenjo-daro.jpgErnest John Henry Mackay (5 July 1880 – 2 October 1943), Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient Egyptians

Civilization appeared to be moving increasingly westward. The mesmerizing cities of ancient Egypt, which continue to capture the imagination even today, began somewhere around 6000 BC, with cities forming around 3,000 years later.

File:Ancient-Egypt-Egyptian-Art-Painings-HD-Pictures.jpgEstere13, Wikimedia Commons

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The Ancient Egyptians

The ancient Egyptians were able to build structures that still mark the earth today; many travel hundreds and thousands of miles to marvel at the pyramids or sphynx. A common conspiracy theory states that aliens helped the ancient Egyptians build these icons. However, the truth is far simpler—they were smart.

File:All Gizah Pyramids.jpgRicardo Liberato, Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient Egyptians

The ancient Egyptian civilization bloomed and thrived for thousands of years; their longevity and power remain integral to the development of civilization as we know it today. Many things we do now would be far more difficult, if not impossible, without the Egyptians.

File:Agricultural Scenes, Tomb of Nakht MET 15.5.19b detail 2 rgb.jpgNorman de Garis Davies, Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient Egyptians

History proves ancient Egypt to be a scientific culture. The ancient Egyptians’ awareness of arithmetic, astronomy, and especially anatomy rival modern times; we owe our ability to perform medical surgery to them.

File:Digaonalsternuhr.jpgNebMaatRa, Wikimedia Commons

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The Ancient Egyptians

The ancient Egyptians had an advanced knowledge of medicine, among ancient peoples. They would stitch up wounds, and reset bones. Some theorize their unique process of preserving the recently departed (mummification) gave them a leg up on their medical advancements.

File:Ancient Egyptian surgical tools2.jpgUnknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient Egyptians

While the Sumerians are still credited with the first form of the written word, the Egyptians perfected it. Their complex system of hieroglyphics, as well as variations found on papyrus, are one of the biggest literary wonders of the ancient world.

File:Ancient-Egyptian-Hieroglyphs.jpgCamshea, Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient & Imperial Chinese

The Western world may like to claim authority on many things. However, no one can deny that Chinese culture was developing and thriving long before many of our famous Western ones.

File:003-The Imperial Portrait of a Chinese Emperor calledHighshines, Wikimedia Commons

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The Ancient & Imperial Chinese

Farming settlements first appeared in China around 5000 BC, and over the centuries, these communities developed into a strong centralized government; ancient and imperial China was ruled by dynasties as early as 2070 BC.

File:Rice farming.jpgUnknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient & Imperial Chinese

Like many of the kingdoms that would follow, the ancient and imperial Chinese dynasties believed in a divine decree that gifted them their right to rule; this, for China, developed into the “Mandate of Heaven”. Through this mandate, rulers were considered the stewards of their people. They were warned against bad behavior.

File:Jin Wu Di.jpgYan Li-pen, Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient & Imperial Chinese

The written language that China uses today can date back to the Shang Dynasty (1600—1046 BC); while not identical, the characters that were used during this time are similar to the characters that are still used today.

File:Shang Inscribed Ox Scapula (for divination).jpgRemsense, Wikimedia Commons

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The Ancient & Imperial Chinese

Ancient Chinese philosophers developed belief systems that are still used today. Confucius remains a quoted figure throughout the world; his writings date back to 400 BC. However, even if you are not a philosopher, you still have things to thank ancient and imperial China for.

Confucius (551–479 BC)Kevinsmithnyc, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient & Imperial Chinese

It was ancient Chinese artists who created the first silk, as well as the first forms of paper. They created the first block printing process and maritime compasses. The traditional forms of Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and herbal medicine, are still used today as well.

Chinese compass Victoria C, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Maya

Around the same time that the civilizations of the Indus Valley were developing, so were the communities in Mesoamerica, which today spans southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, as well as portions of El Salvador and Honduras.

Wall paintings from Mayan tribesProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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The Maya

These civilizations began to develop into cities and were replaced by a better-known culture: the Maya Civilization. Like the ancient Egyptians, the Maya built tall structures that continue to stand the test of time—though their reasoning for it was a little different.

Chichen Itza, Mayan siteDaniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Maya

The sky fascinated the Maya; their cities were built around massive complexes that appeared to reach out to the stars. Among those complexes were observatories, where the Maya would record their meticulous observations of the planets.

File:Chichen Itza Observatory 2 1.jpgFcb981, Wikimedia Commons

The Maya

The Maya’s understanding of astronomy was far from basic. Their records, which used a system combining pictorial and phonetic characters, showed a true understanding of the movements of their beloved celestial objects.

File:Mayan Zodiac Circle.jpgtheilr, Wikimedia Commons

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The Maya

The Maya made predictions on the position of various celestial objects that proved to be correct, long into the future. Moreover, they used Venus, Mars, and the Moon to keep track of time.

File:Planet size comparisons – Venus, Earth, Mars.JPGwikipedia user Brian0918, Wikimedia Commons

The Maya

The Maya means of time management used a complex system of interlocking calendars, all of which scheduled both their agricultural activities and religious rituals to coincide with specific astronomical arrangements. To this day, 6 million modern Maya descendants still use this system.

File:Maya Calendar by Matthew Bisanz.JPGMBisanz, Wikimedia Commons

The Greeks

7000 BC appears to have been the prime time for civilizations to grow. It was around this time that the settlements that would become Greece’s famous Minoan and Mycenean societies began to form along the Aegean Sea.

File:Knossos women fresco.jpgGleb Simonov, Wikimedia Commons

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The Greeks

These two civilizations influenced much of what followed in ancient Greece. The Myceneans, in particular, dictated the development of the language and the early Greek deities. Even today, if you understand a reference to Achillies, Odysseus, or the Trojan War, then you are remembering the Myceneans, for Achillies and Odysseus were great Mycenean heroes.

File:02 2020 Grecia photo Paolo Villa FO190055 (Museo archeologico di Atene ) Affresco miceneo con donna NAMA 11670 con braccialetti XIIIsec a.C., senza gimp.jpgPaolo Villa, Wikimedia Commons

The Greeks

The fact that the Minoan and Mycenean cultures collapsed by 1100 BC is likely the root cause of them being remembered, by name, by only true classicists. The cities that replaced them, however—Athens, Sparta, and Thebes—live on in the memories of most in the Western world.

Monastiraki Square And Acropolis In Athensdronepicr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Greeks

Greek culture was very divided. Each city-state had its ruler and its own culture. However, they shared a language, and their shared interest in innovation has led to ancient Greece still being an influential player in society today.

File:Helen and Menelaos Staatliche Antikensammlungen 1383 cropped glare reduced and solid white background.pngAmasis Painter, Wikimedia Commons

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The Greeks

Much of Western literature owes its start to ancient poets, such as Homer and Hesiod (both of which are still studied today); Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle continue to have influence on modern thinking, as well.

Doctors rare conditionsPixabay

The Greeks

Modern medicine, mathematics, and science all owe their starts to the ancient thinkers of Greece. They paved the way for what followed; however, the biggest influence that Greece is credited for is democracy. Ancient Greece laid the foundation for modern democracies to be built.

File:Vaticano 2011 (88).JPGJorge Valenzuela A, Wikimedia Commons

The Romans

As suits the theme of this article, ancient Rome owes much of its development to ancient Greece. They borrowed basic principles from the Greeks and elevated them. Therefore, modern civilization owes just as much to the Romans as the Romans owe to the Greeks.

File:Ancient Rome (cropped).JPGby Albert Kretschmer, painters and costumer to the Royal Court Theatre, Berlin, and Dr. Carl Rohrbach., Wikimedia Commons

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The Romans

Of all our civilizations, Rome is the youngest, beginning as a small village along the Tiber around 750 BC. However, the Romans took that small village and turned it into an empire that is still relevant in Western culture today.

File:Tiber.JPGKalajoki~commonswiki, Wikimedia Commons

The Romans

As hinted at already, much of Roman culture was absorbed by others. Their deities were primarily the same as the Greeks, with some influence from the Egyptians as well. They also cataloged the information that they learned from other nations as well.

File:Cicero Denounces Catiline in the Roman Senate by Cesare Maccari.pngCesare Maccari, Wikimedia Commons

The Romans

Thanks to the Roman habit of absorbing the information they collected from other cultures, they are credited with inventing some of the earliest known encyclopedias. Pliny the Elder, a classical historian, compiled 20,000 facts from various cultures, on a variety of topics in his Naturalis Historia.

File:Histoire Naturelle Pline l Ancien mid 12th century Abbaye de Saint Vincent Le Mans France.jpgPHGCOM, Wikimedia Commons

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The Romans

The Romans weren’t without their talents, however. They may have absorbed knowledge from other cultures, but they always had the ingenuity to put their unique spin on that information, particularly when it came to their architecture.

File:Colosseo 2020 cropped.jpgUtente:FeaturedPics, Wikimedia Commons

The Romans

Romans may not have invented the road, arch, or aqueduct; however, they perfected them. Their construction proved so sturdy, that many of their buildings and architecture still exist today (whereas those they sourced the knowledge from do not). They allowed these pieces of knowledge to be passed forward, enabling us to still use them today.

File:France-002364 - Square House (15867600545).jpgDennis G. Jarvis, Wikimedia Commons

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