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You can thank the ancients

OER Project Team
You can thank the ancients

By Bridgette Byrd O’Connor

The legacy of the ancient world is very much alive in the minds of people everywhere. We offer as proof the number of people who visit ancient ruins each year:

  • The ancient Maya ruins of Chichén Itzá in Mexico attract about 2 million people.
  • The Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia brings in about 2.5 million visitors.
  • The ancient Athenian Acropolis, which includes the ruins of the Parthenon, attracts about 3 million tourists.
  • The Parthenon has nothing, though, on the ancient Roman Colosseum, which sees about 7 million visitors annually. In 2024, that number skyrocketed to 12 million.
  • Now it’s time for the ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza to say, “hold my drink.” They welcome over 14 million people each year.

Of course, the legacies of ancient societies stretch far beyond these famous ruins. Still, these hordes of annual visitors are evidence of the enduring relevance of the ancient world. The pharaohs live rent-free in our heads.

At some point in your life, you were probably made to read about ancient Egyptian mummies or Roman generals. Chances are, you rolled your eyes and asked your teacher, “Why is this stuff important?” It turns out that the ancients were pretty impressive people who not only solved some of the world’s most intricate problems but also made some of the most important discoveries, many of which continue to be relevant today. There’s a reason people continue to visit ancient ruins—they’re impressive! The construction of these ancient wonders required precise knowledge of various disciplines—engineering, architecture, mathematics, and astronomy. Not to mention the social complexity needed to manage such vast public works.

From left to right: El Castillo at Chichén Itzá, Mexico; Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia; the Colosseum in Rome, Italy; Athenian Acropolis in Greece; and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

So, what are some things we use every day for which we have the ancients to thank?

  • One of the reasons we can still visit so many Roman ruins today is that Roman builders perfected the recipe for concrete. In fact, scientists have only recently unraveled the mystery of what made Roman concrete so durable.
  • The democratic principles and foundations of republican governance that are the model for many modern governments today got their start with the ancient Greeks and Romans. But the roots of democracy may extend even further back, as archaeologists have theorized that some foraging communities may have been organized around democratic elements, as were some pre-Maya urban societies in Mesoamerica and the settlements of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro on the Indian subcontinent.
  • The makeup and perfume that many people use today owe a debt of gratitude to innovations in ancient Egypt, India, China, and Japan, among others.
  • You have a calendar on your phone thanks to our long history of collective learning, with contributions from the Sumerians, Egyptians, Persians, Hebrews, Chinese, and Romans, among others. Intricate calendars based on astronomical data were also created by the Maya, Aboriginal Australians, and Celts.
  • The algebra and geometry you learned in school exist thanks to the ancient Greeks and Indians and the later Islamic scholars who translated their theorems.
  • The heating and plumbing systems used in your homes were pioneered by ancient Persian, Indian, Greek, and Roman innovators.
  • The cast iron pots and pans we use today are the result of innovations perfected in Han Dynasty China blast furnaces.

The list could go on and on, but you get the point. The intellectual and technological legacies of the ancient world will be with us forever. However, we cannot say the same of historical sites and physical remains. From Mexico to Athens, local governments are struggling with how best to protect these ancient sites from the ravages of hordes of tourists and the dangers of climate change.

In our post-pandemic world, tourists are returning in droves to historical sites like the Parthenon and Colosseum. To protect these sites from the millions of tourists who visit each year, governments have instituted limits on visitors per day. Some sites, like the Inca Trail that leads to Machu Picchu, now close regularly. But governments must weigh the imperative to preserve cultural sites against the economic benefits of tourism. Other communities have taken more drastic steps to limit tourists, such as erecting walls and fences to block Instagram-worthy photos and deter the throngs of people who litter the towns with garbage and noise in their attempts to take the perfect shot. Many Indigenous communities are also attempting to regain control over sites and antiquities to protect their cultural histories.

But perhaps the more alarming concern for those who wish to protect ancient sites is the threat of climate change. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has warned that climate change is currently impacting one in six cultural heritage sites. The global threats of rising sea levels and increased wildfires, erosion, and droughts could leave us with far fewer sites in the future. There are adaptation strategies that could help us protect ancient sites, but we’ll need innovation to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thereby slowing the irrevocable damage of climate change in these areas.

It turns out that learning about ancient societies doesn’t mean memorizing a bunch of dates or long-dead people’s names. History—and yes, even ancient history—can tell us a lot about our world today. People continue to be fascinated by ancient sites, and many find inspiration both in the present and in planning for the future when learning about our past. The ancients could also help us as we attempt to adapt and innovate to overcome the perils of climate change. Many ancient societies dealt with the problem of climate change, although not on the scale we face today. But looking at how the ancients adapted to things like droughts and natural disasters could provide inspiration for our future.    

About the author: Bridgette Byrd O’Connor holds a DPhil in history from the University of Oxford and taught the Big History Project and World History Project courses and AP® US government and politics for 10 years at the high-school level. In addition, she’s been a freelance writer and editor for the Crash Course World History and US History curricula. She’s currently a content manager for OER Project.

Image credits

Header: Tourists descend the Propylaia, the ancient gate of the Acropolis archaeological site in Athens on June 21, 2023. Ó Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP via Getty Images.

Composite image:

Anonymous