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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

It doesn’t mean that

10 words that are often used incorrectly

What is the correct word to describe experiencing nausea? What about saying that you have several choices to pick from? If your first choice was to say "nauseous" or "alternative", you are mistaken. Vocabulary is, in great part, learned through copying and imitating others, but this can also lead to incorrect uses of a word becoming widespread. Let us explore some words that you might be using incorrectly!

Many people use "nauseous" to describe feeling sick or experiencing nausea, but this is incorrect. Nauseous primarily means something that causes sickness or nausea, such as spoiled food or foul smells.

The correct term for feeling sick is "nauseated", although some people consider that "feeling nauseous" has become so common that it is acceptable in informal speech.

This word definitely has something to do with size, but not in the way that many would think. Nowadays, we hear "enormity" used to describe huge things, but the better word for that would be "enormousness".

The correct use of "enormity" is related to bad things, wickedness, and evil, such as the "enormity of a crime" or "the enormity of a tragedy".

If you use the word "refute" to mean "opposing an argument", you are not wrong, but you are not necessarily right either. If you are simply opposing or presenting a counter-argument, "deny" or "rebut" would be more appropriate.

To properly refute something, saying it’s incorrect is not enough. You have to prove that the argument or claim is false with logic and supporting evidence.

Have you ever described an encounter or event as "fortuitous"? Maybe a stranger helped you at the right moment, or you found a $100 bill in your pocket. These are indeed fortuitous events, but not because they are beneficial to you.

The word "fortuitous" means that something happens by pure chance or accident, but does not necessarily involve luck or good fortune.

One would think that by adding the prefix dis- (meaning "opposite" or "apart") to the word "interested", the resulting meaning would be "not interested" or "bored". However, the correct term for not being interested is "uninterested".

What does disinterested mean, then? It does convey a lack of interest, in the sense that one does not have any personal gain in the situation and is able to be fair, neutral, and unbiased.

Many people define themselves as a skeptic about certain topics or beliefs, but are they really skeptics or are they mere deniers? The term "denier" carries a negative connotation, so it’s easy to see why someone wouldn’t use it to define themselves, but "skeptic" has a different meaning.

Skeptics question a statement or claim, but they do it based on evidence. They assess the facts and are open to changing their mind if the evidence proves them wrong. On the other hand, deniers flat-out reject the claim or belief, and close themselves to any fact or evidence.

It is common to hear "nonplussed" to describe someone being calm or unfazed by things, but did you know that its proper meaning is the opposite? It actually means that you are so surprised or confused that you don’t know what to say or do.

The word comes from the Latin non plus, meaning "no more" or "no further", and it was initially used for a standstill situation where nothing else could be said or done. Eventually, it shifted to describe being in that standstill state, with no idea what to do.

Is "alternative" synonymous with "choice"? Yes, but only sometimes. Although it is common to hear about having "multiple alternatives", by definition an alternative is a choice between two things.

The word comes from the Latin alter, "the other", traditionally used for choices with two different options. If the choices are multiple, they are simply choices.

It is common to hear problems described as dilemmas, but while all dilemmas are a problem, not all problems are a dilemma. A problem is a difficult situation that needs to be solved. There might be more than one solution, and some problems might be easier than others.

A dilemma, however, is never easy or clear, because it presents two choices, none of them attractive. No matter the choice, the outcome will be negative.

In many words, the prefix in- means "not", which might make one think that words like "inflammable" mean "not flammable". However, many words use the prefix in- to mean "into" or "to cause to be", and inflammable is one of them.

The English vocabulary adopted the term "flammable", meaning something that easily catches fire, from Latin. But Latin also had the term inflammare, meaning "to set on fire", from which we got inflammable, which means that "flammable" and "inflammable" are synonyms, and their opposite is "non-flammable".