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8 Inventions We Owe to the Ancients

If you take a good look, it may surprise you to learn how many of the objects that surround you every day were originally invented thousands of years ago by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans or other societies. These advanced civilizations came up with ideas that would revolutionize their existence-and ours. Here are eight of the most useful objects, ideas and institutions that we owe to the ancients.

Paper

As early as 3000 B.C., Egyptians had developed a technique for making paper from the pith of the papyrus plant, a common sight along the bank of the Nile. Long strips were woven together and weighted down to bind them into a strong, thin sheet. The Egyptians also invented pens made of cut reeds, which were strong enough to write on the papyrus, and mixed soot or other organic material with beeswax and vegetable gum to make ink. These ancient papermakers knew what they were doing: Many of these papyrus sheets inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics remain intact and readable, even after more than 5,000 years.

Eye makeup

Ancient Egyptians knew all about the power of a smoky eye. Way back in 4000 B.C., they started making kohl to line their eyes by mixing soot with galena, a mineral with a metallic bluish, gray or black hue. In some ancient paintings, Egyptians are depicted wearing green eye makeup, a shade they achieved by mixing another mineral, malachite, with the galena. Both women and men wore kohl eye makeup in ancient Egypt. They believed it had healing properties, as well as the power to protect the wearer from the evil eye.

Democratic government

The word "democracy" comes from the Greek term demokratia, literally meaning "rule by the people." The word-and the concept-was introduced in 507 B.C. by Cleisthenes, ruler of the Greek city-state of Athens. This form of popular government consisted of three separate institutions: the ekklesia, or Assembly, which wrote laws and dictated foreign policy; the boule, a council of representatives chosen from the different Athenian tribes; and the dikasteria, a popular court system. In practice, only a small minority of the Athenian population took part in this early form of democratic government, as participation was limited to male citizens over 18. Athens' system of popular rule would last only until around 460 B.C. when an aristocracy began to emerge under the leadership of the general Pericles. However, the democratic ideals and processes that originated in ancient Greece have influenced politicians and governments ever since.

The marathon

In 490 B.C., as the story goes, a Greek soldier ran from Marathon to Athens, a distance of just over 26 miles, to bring news of the Athenian victory over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. After delivering his message, the soldier promptly died. Over the centuries, his story became conflated with that of another, more famous, Greek soldier: Pheidippides. Before the Battle of Marathon took place, Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta to warn other Greeks of the Persian invasion, reportedly covering some 250 kilometers of uneven terrain in only two days. Unfortunately, Sparta was in the middle of a religious celebration when he arrived, and the Spartans were unable to mobilize for war until it was too late; the battle was already over. The first modern marathon took place at the revived Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 and was won-fittingly-by a Greek runner, Spyridon Louis.

Concrete

The frighteningly durable substance known as opus caementicium, or Roman concrete, first emerged some 2,100 years ago, and would make possible the architectural frenzy that began with Augustus, the first Roman emperor, in 27 B.C. The Romans mixed limestone with volcanic ash to form a mortar, then packed this thick substance together with chunks of brick or volcanic tuff to form the basic material for roads, bridges, aqueducts, buildings and other structures-including such enduring behemoths as the Pantheon and the Colosseum. Today's scientists have concluded that Roman concrete, though weaker than modern cement, is astonishingly long lasting, remaining relatively intact even after centuries of exposure to seawater and other damaging elements.

Newspaper

The Acta Diurna (or "daily acts"), which first appeared around 131 B.C., served as a gazette of political and social happenings in ancient Rome. News of events such as military victories, gladiatorial bouts and other games, births and deaths and even human-interest stories were inscribed on metal or stone and posted in areas with heavy foot traffic, such as the Roman Forum. Later on, during the first consulship of Julius Caesar, the Acta Senatus began chronicling the activities of the Roman Senate. The Acta Diurna, which continued publication under the Roman Empire (after 27 B.C.), can be considered the prototype for the modern newspaper.

Chocolate

This all-important invention comes from the beans of the cacao tree, which was cultivated more than 3,000 years ago by the Maya, Aztec and Toltec peoples of ancient Mesoamerica. These civilizations used the tree's fruit, the cocoa bean, to prepare a frothy beverage they considered an energy drink, mood enhancer and aphrodisiac all in one. The Maya worshiped the cacao tree as sacred, and cocoa beans grew so valuable they were used as currency. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadores seeking gold and silver in the New World brought chocolate back to Europe with them, launching a craze that-let's be honest-never really ended.

Zero

For all its importance, it may surprise you to learn that zero is a relatively recent concept in human history, though it still has its roots in ancient times. The idea to use a zero-like symbol as a placeholder-to show the difference between 10 and 100, for example, or to show the absence in one column of another number (e.g. 2015)-emerged sometime after 300 B.C., when the ancient Babylonians adapted the Sumerian counting system. Half a world away, in ancient Mesoamerica, the Maya came up with the idea of zero as a placeholder independently, around A.D. 350. They used it in their elaborate calendar systems, but like the Babylonians, didn't really conceive of zero as a number in itself or use it in equations. The more complete vision of zero didn't emerge until the 7th century in India, when the Hindu astronomer Brahmagupta wrote rules for using zero in mathematical operations and equations, introducing the concept that zero could be seen as a number of its own.

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8 Inventions We Owe to the Ancients - History Lists

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Print Cite Article Details: If you take a good look, it may surprise you to learn how many of the objects that surround you every day were originally invented thousands of years ago by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans or other societies. These advanced civilizations came up with ideas that would revolutionize their existence-and ours.

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Enter the world of the ancient Egyptians. Find out why their mysterious civilisation, gods, godesses and pyramids capture the imagination.

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Nile - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The word "Nile" comes from Greek Neilos (ὁ Νεῖλος). Neilos came from the word "river valley". In the ancient Egyptian language, the Nile is called Ḥ'pī or iteru, meaning "great river", represented by the hieroglyphs shown above (literally itrw, and ' waters' determinative). In Coptic, the words piaro (Sahidic) or phiaro (Bohairic) meaning "the river" (lit.

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The story of ancient Egypt has survived for thousands of years. Egypt was one of the greatest civilizations of the past. The monuments and tombs of their Pharaohs continue to stand intact today, some 4,000 years later!

Egypt in the Christian bible

A good portion of the Old testament takes place in or around Egypt. Egypt also plays a major role in the life of many Bible people from Moses and Joseph to Jesus.

Where in the world is Egypt?

Egypt is situated in the northeast corner of the Africa.

A large river called the River Nile flows through the country into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile enters Egypt from the Sudan and flows north for about 1545 km (about 960 m) to the sea.

Where did the Ancient Egyptians live?

The Ancient Egyptians lived along the banks of the river Nile in Egypt. Farmers first settled in Egypt along the River Nile around 5000 B.C.

Where do most people in Egypt live today?

About 95 % of Egypt's population still live in the Nile valley (the area next to the river).

Why is the River Nile important to the Egyptians today and in the past?

Egypt is mainly made up of hot deserts and receives little rainfall. Without the River Nile, the area would be entirely desert.

What is meant by "the gift of the Nile"?

All of Egypt depended on the Nile for water, food and transportation. The Nile also provided the ancient Egyptians with fertile land which helped them to grow their crops and raise their animals.

Before modern dams were built the river Nile would flood each year coating the land on either side of the river with thick back mud. This mud was ideal for growing crops on.
Click here to find out more about the river Nile
What is the difference between red land and black land?

The people in Ancient Egypt divided Egypt into two areas.

1. The 'red land' was the deserts protecting Egypt on two sides. These deserts separated ancient Egypt from neighbouring countries and invading armies.

2. The black land was the fertile land (near the Nile River) where the ancient Egyptians grew their crops.

The creation of Egypt

Two separate kingdoms (ruled by different kings) developed along the Nile River. The kingdom in Upper Egypt was known as the white crown and the kingdom in Lower Egypt was called the red crown. In about 3200 B. C. the pharaoh of the north conquered the south and Egypt became united. The pharaoh's name was King Narmer or Menes.

Menes built a new capital city called Memphis. In the Greek language the word Memphis meant "Balance of the Two Lands."

Ancient Egypt - Map of famous sites
Explore Ancient Egypt on an Interactive Map

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The story of ancient Egypt has survived for thousands of years. Egypt was one of the greatest civilizations of the past. The monuments and tombs of their Pharaohs continue to stand intact today, some 4,000 years later! Egypt in the Christian bible A good portion of the Old testament takes place in or around Egypt.

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The ancient Egyptians were fascinating people, and thanks to the movies are often misunderstood. The ancient Egyptians were not in love with death. They were in love with life! They worked very hard, but saved time to enjoy family, friends, music, parties, swimming, fishing, hunting, sailing, and especially their children, all of which were very important to the ancient Egyptians. This ancient culture was not based on fear. It was based on kindness.

The ancient Egyptian believed that their life on earth was just the beginning. After they died, the next step in their journey would be to magically travel to their perfect afterlife, where they would live forever. There was a catch, though. To reach their afterlife, the ancient Egyptians believed they had to do many good deeds while they were alive to keep their heart light. What happened to them if their hearts werenot light when they died? Oh dear - find out here.

The ancient Egyptians had over 2,000 gods they believed would help them with their life and help them reach their afterlife. Most ancient Egyptian gods had animal heads or green bodies or something that set them apart from people. You might think the ancient Egyptian people would be afraid of these very scary looking gods. They were not afraid at all, at least, not of most of them anyway. They prayed to statues of their gods in their temples, and made wishes for things they wanted. If their prayers werenot answered, they might give the statue a little whack with a reed to let the gods know they were quite disappointed, but they understood that you could not always get everything you asked for.

Which all goes to explain why a popular family outing was visiting the family tomb with armloads of grave goods the family had made, things they might need in their afterlife to make their eternity comfortable and fun. They made little statues of people out of clay, each about 3-8 inches tall. They believed these little statues would come alive in their afterlife, and run around and do all the chores, leaving them free to enjoy themselves. As all ancient Egyptians knew, after you died, your Ka, your spirit, flew off to enjoy endless, perfect days along a magical Nile. At night, your Ba, your night spirit, returned to your tomb, because even mummies need a good night's sleep. The ancient Egyptians were, after all, very practical in their way.

Five thousand (5,000) years ago, the ancient Egyptian made their home at the mouth of the Nile River, where the Nile runs into the Mediterranean Sea. It was a wonderful place to live. The soil was rich. Food was plentiful. They were surrounded by desert, which kept them safe from intruders, but the Nile kept their world green. They did their best to chase away other ancient people who wanted to take over their land. They were not afraid to fight intruders to protect their unique life along the Nile.

Come meet the clever, creative, ancient Egyptians, and enter a world of free speech, tall tales, and many kinds of magic.

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The ancient Egyptians were fascinating people, and thanks to the movies are often misunderstood. The ancient Egyptians were not in love with death. They were in love with life! They worked very hard, but saved time to enjoy family, friends, music, parties, swimming, fishing, hunting, sailing, and especially their children, all of which were very important to the ancient Egyptians.