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.

Image: Jan Antonin Kolar

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.

Corporate jargon rules

Do you speak office? Corporate buzzwords that are simpler than they sound

How well can you recognize office jargon? These words pop up in meetings, emails, and in business contexts. They are meant to make work conversations quicker, though sometimes, let's be honest, they make them sound more complicated than their actual meaning. Keep reading and see how familiar you are with office jargon.

What is your core competency? It is something you do particularly well at work. If you list customer service as a core competency on your resume, you are saying that it is one of your strongest skills and part of what makes you valuable to an employer.

A core competency often helps you stand out from others because it is difficult to replicate and contributes to a company’s success. It might help the business improve its performance, serve customers more effectively, or expand into new markets.

"Let’s touch base about this project tomorrow" usually means, "Let’s briefly discuss it." In business, people use this phrase when they want to reconnect, check in, or get an update on a specific topic.

The expression comes from baseball, where a player must literally touch a base to be safe or score a run. Over the years, people began using it as a metaphor for reconnecting. In the professional world, it often means sharing quick updates and making sure everyone is on the same page.

Imagine you bring up a problem during a work meeting, and your supervisor says, "Good point. We’ll circle back to this later." The meeting moves on, and the issue is not forgotten, even though it is not mentioned again.

In corporate language, "circle back" means returning to a topic at another time. It allows people to pause a discussion without dropping it entirely. The phrase comes from moving in a circle and returning to where you started, like completing a lap, becoming common in office jargon during the 1970s.

Imagine your team is stuck on the same old solution, and your manager says, "We need to think outside the box." What does he mean? He’s encouraging the team to look for a more creative or unexpected way to solve the problem. Sometimes, ordinary procedures don’t always yield the best results.

The phrase comes from the Nine-Dot Puzzle game, where you must connect all nine dots with four straight lines. The trick is to draw beyond the imaginary box around the dots instead of staying inside it.

Synergy happens when two people, teams, or organizations work together and achieve a better result than they could separately. It's usually represented as 1+1 = 3; in other words, the combined effect is greater than the sum of its parts. The word comes from the Greek synergia, meaning "working together." And, in business, it is often used to make teamwork sound more strategic.

When a company tries ten small ideas, but only one actually increases sales, that one idea "moves the needle." The phrase is a way of saying something made a real, noticeable difference, compared to the other ideas trying to cause a similar effect.

The expression comes from old measuring tools, like speedometers and fuel gauges, where the needle moves when the speed, fuel level, or another measurement changes. It entered office slang in the 80s as a corporate shorthand for actions that produce clear, effective results.

If a team wants quick wins, it may start with the "low-hanging fruit." These are the simple opportunities that require less effort and are usually the easiest tasks to finish first. A "low-hanging fruit" example could be calling back customers who already showed interest compared with finding brand-new customers. Before becoming an everyday term for the office, this expression referred to fruit growing on the lowest branches of a tree, which is the easiest to reach and pick without a ladder or much effort.

If a coworker says, "I don’t have the bandwidth for that," they are probably not talking about Wi-Fi. In office language, bandwidth means time, energy, or mental capacity. In other words, it’s a polite way of saying, "I’m already too busy; I won't handle that new task." This way, we compare the computer capacity to handle data as a metaphor for the mental capacity humans have.

The phrase is easy to guess once you hear it. If a manager asks for a "deep dive" into falling sales, they are asking for more than a glance. They want a detailed look at the numbers, causes, and possible solutions, a complete analysis of the situation. Such as diving, yes, but without the water fun part.

Ever heard someone say, "Let’s take it offline"? In a meeting, it usually means the topic should wait. The group can move on, and the issue can be discussed later, privately, or outside the main conversation. In computer science, "offline" is used for processing data or tasks separate from the main active network.