Beyond the stones

Fast food in Ancient Rome? 10 great things we inherited from the Romans

Image: Sébastien Jermer

According to history books, Rome fell more than 1,500 years ago, but it can be easily argued that the Empire's influence never truly waned. Beyond its majestic ruins, Rome left a legacy so intertwined with our modern world that we often fail to recognize how many of our daily conveniences stem from their unique vision and innovation. From public sanitation to bureaucracy, here are 10 surprising ways the Roman Empire continues to shape our lives today.

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The Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar, forms the backbone of our modern Gregorian calendar system. While it has been modified by Pope Gregory XIII (hence the name "Gregorian"), the basic structure—365 days with leap years—remained.

Even the names of our months are derived from Roman months, which is most evident in months like July and August, which honor the early rulers Julius Caesar and Augustus. Moreover, Rome's efforts to standardize time laid the foundation for modern global timekeeping.

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Bizarrely, the standard width of modern American railways can be traced back to Roman chariot paths. These ancient roads set a standard gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches, which were used extensively across the empire.

Since much of the road infrastructure built in Great Britain was only improved upon by the following rulers, the same width was preserved long after the Roman Empire fell for fear of breaking the wheels of carriages, and it eventually became the basis for railroads.

Image: Robert Keane

Concrete is so ubiquitous in modern architecture that it’s hard to believe it was invented over a thousand years ago. Roman concrete, or opus caementicium, was a revolutionary formula—a mix of volcanic ash with lime and water— which produced materials so durable that they have withstood millennia.

In fact, Roman concrete may have been even stronger and more resilient than our modern version. The inclusion of calcium carbonate chunks and unique mixing techniques gave it remarkable self-healing properties, allowing the material to repair cracks over time, further enhancing its durability.

Image: Peter Herrmann

The Romans invented the hypocaust system, an early form of central heating. By circulating hot air beneath the floors and walls of public baths and homes, they ensured warmth and comfort, especially during cold winters. The system was so efficient that it could easily provide heat for hundreds of people at once.

Unfortunately, after the collapse of the Roman Empire, heating reverted to more primitive fireplaces for nearly a thousand years. However, the technology lived on and eventually became the precursor to today’s underfloor heating systems.

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Rome’s sanitation systems were ahead of their time, featuring flushing toilets connected to complex sewer networks like the Cloaca Maxima (amusing name, we know). These innovations helped reduce disease and improve public health, a rare luxury in ancient times.

In fact, major cities like London did not have adequate sewage systems until 1875! The city only undertook this massive engineering challenge after untreated sewage in the Thames rendered it nearly uninhabitable, which goes to show just how advanced Roman sanitation systems were.

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Not even what we might consider the pinnacle of modern conveniences—fast food—is immune to Roman influence. In fact, Romans loved their street food. Thermopolia, the ancient Roman equivalent of fast-food shops, served hot meals to busy citizens on the go.

These establishments were a common sight in cities, offering quick and affordable meals. Even more, some historians suggest that they might have had burgers, or at least a similar type of meat sandwich called Isicia Omentata. This dish featured spicy minced pork seasoned with fish sauce and was often served in plain bread buns.

Image: Claudio Schwarz

Romans were no strangers to advertising. Merchants used signs, slogans, and symbols to promote their goods. Mosaics with company logos and distinctive designs served as early trademarks and have been frequently found in well-preserved archaeological sites such as Pompeii.

Hospices and inns also relied on advertising to inform travelers about their services, sometimes even noting that they served food "Roman style." Moreover, wealthy Romans often used advertising for political purposes, funding slogans to be painted on buildings or even commissioning caricatures of their political enemies.

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Graffiti was everywhere in ancient Rome, from political messages to love notes. But just like in modern times, Romans frequently used graffiti humorously, sometimes leaving rude remarks, explicit drawings, or just commenting ironically on daily life.

But graffiti could also be more innocent, featuring simple pictures or even games (picture a chalk tic-tac-toe on a wall). Despite the centuries that separate us, their sense of humor was not so different from ours, and graffiti has been invaluable to historians and archaeologists in reconstructing daily life in Roman times.

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Romans didn’t just build cities—they meticulously planned them. They pioneered grid layouts with organized streets and distinct zones for residential, commercial, and public spaces. These urban planning innovations have influenced modern city design, where very similar urbanization plans are still used to build and expand.

While the city itself is not a Roman invention, of course, Roman designs shaped how we conceive of urban spaces today. Their approach to planning ensured that cities were functional, efficient, and navigable, setting a standard that continues to guide modern urban development.

Image: Maksym Kaharlytskyi

Whether you see it as a gift or a burden, there is no doubt that Roman bureaucracy has left a lasting legacy. Rome’s complex system of governance required extensive bureaucracy. And they were among the first to implement systematic and detailed record-keeping, tax collection, and legal systems.

In particular, the Roman army was highly bureaucratic; something as simple as a stock check or a food order often required paperwork in triplicate before it could be authorized! But in any case, this meticulous record-keeping is a major reason we have such detailed knowledge about Roman times today.

Quirks of English

10 words that sound the same but mean different things

English is beautiful. It has borrowed words, sounds, and grammar from more than 350 other languages, which gives us an amazingly vast vocabulary (hundreds of thousands of words, though we only use 20,000 to 35,000 in everyday life). But this rich history comes with a catch: some words sound exactly like other words even though their spellings and meanings are completely different: think of "flour" and "flower," or "right" and "write." These are called "homophones," and here are 10 of them you may or may not have noticed before.

One is used to cook, and the other to decorate. One grows naturally on a plant and is associated with beauty and gardens, and the other is a powder made by grinding grains and is normally used in the kitchen. In standard American English, both "flower" and "flour" are pronounced /ˈ_flaʊər_/. We have to rely on context to tell them apart: you might plant a flower and bake with flour.

This could be a confusing one for someone just starting to learn English, as "right" can mean "correct," as in "you got the answer right," or refer to the direction opposite of left. But "write" specifically refers to the act of writing: forming words or symbols using a pen, keyboard, etc. But in standard American English, both are pronounced /raɪt/. This means you can "write the right answer."

What does a large body of salt water have in common with the act of perceiving something with your eyes? Well, nothing really, just that both are pronounced /siː/. These two don’t even belong to the same parts of speech; "sea" is a noun whereas "see" is a verb, with "saw" and "seen" as its past-tense forms. And yes, you can "see the sea."

Both pronounced /sʌn/, "sun" and "son" are two nouns that, again, mean two different things. One is a male child in relation to his parents, a person; while the other refers to the star at the center of our solar system, responsible for providing light and heat to the Earth. You could say, metaphorically, that your "son is your sun." Or that the neighbor's "son is playing in the sun."

Again, we have a case of a verb and a noun with no relation to each other, and yet both are pronounced the same, /per/. "Pair" can actually be both a noun and a verb; as a noun, it refers to two things that belong together, such as a pair of shoes, and as a verb, it means to put two things or people together. A "pear" is a bell-shaped fruit that everyone knows. In this case, you could say you have a "pair of pears."

Although these two words can be associated with nighttime/fantasy imagery in old books and stories, the meanings of "knight" and "night" are completely different, even though both are pronounced /naɪt/. One refers to a king’s faithful mounted warriors wearing armour in medieval Europe, and the other simply means the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise: "The knight left the castle at night."

"Peace" is an idea or state. You can use it to mean "world peace," like an ideal state of freedom and happiness, or simply say "I need some peace" to express a need to feel calmer or more relaxed. And a piece is a part or a portion of something, like a piece of cake or a piece of paper. Both are pronounced /piːs/, and you could totally say that you "want to have a piece of cake in peace."

We use "mail" as a noun for items that are delivered through the postal system, but also as a verb that means "to send something through the mail." And even though the noun "male" is also pronounced /meɪl/, it refers to a man or a male animal as opposed to female; it describes sex or gender. It is perfectly valid to say "I sent mail to my male friend."

This is a funny triad. Three words, three different meanings but the same sound: /baɪ/. "To buy" is to purchase something; "bye" is a casual way to say goodbye; and "by" is quite a versatile word English speakers use to indicate everything from location and proximity to method or even the person responsible for an action: "I sat by the window" or "a book by Mark Twain."

And you can combine the three into one brief sentence and say, "Buy a book by an author, then say bye." Confusing? I don’t think so.

"Week" and "weak" both sound /wiːk/. A "week" is what we call a period of seven days, usually counted from Sunday to Saturday, i.e., a period of time. And "weak" can mean a lack of strength or power, both mentally and physically: "I feel weak." Though it can also mean that something is not as effective as it should be: "That’s a weak argument". The two can coexist in the same sentence: "You can feel weak after a long week."