Civilization is Connected from the Mesopotamians to the Powerful Roman Empire

Time persistently progresses forward unimpeded. With each elapsing second the present moment changes into the past and creates history. History is filled with a plethora of events, people, and concepts that have left an enduring influence. Society has developed many components which became foundational to Western culture from the Mesopotamian civilizations to the emergence of the Romans. The contributions of a variety of cultures shaped the course of Western history.

The Mesopotamians and Egyptians are among the first civilizations to make a valuable contribution to Western Civilization. Both Babylonians and Egyptians managed to produce written systems of communicating ideas. The Babylonians created wedge-shaped cuneiform, and the Egyptians made pictographic hieroglyphics. This invention even allowed for Hammurabi’s Code of law to be written and preserved through the ages. The Phoenicians took this concept another step forward and fashioned the alphabet. The ability to record history is an exceptional achievement. Another development of the Ancient Near East was architecture. The Egyptian pyramids, and the Babylonian ziggurats stand as testimony to their society’s technological and architectural achievements. The Assyrians left a lasting impact on civilization with the advent of the idea of conquest which they took to ruthlessly brutal ends. Later the Persians would add a degree of tolerance into the conquest equation. The concept of conquest would leave an indelible mark on the West, for better or worse. These developments still play a role in contemporary society.

Much of the religious practice of the ancient world was polytheistic. The Hebrews embrace of monotheism is noteworthy, because it distinguishes Judaism from the ...

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...an to emerge. Christianity, the religion founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ, became a major pillar of Western Civilization. The Roman Empire eventually collapsed, but its influence continued to live on.

The annals of Western Civilization are filled with instances of the progression and integration of ideas derived from a variety of societies. The development of writing allowed history, laws, and works of influential literature to be recorded. The spread of culture became linked to the idea of conquest. The roots of the modern view of history can be identified in the Hebrew retrospective idea. Even the contemporary scientific mindset shares some similarities with Greek rationalism. Civilization is connected from the Mesopotamians to the powerful Roman Empire. Though these societies collapsed their contributions continue to influence the flow of history.