While ancient civilizations didn’t have smartphones, they still had some useful ideas on how to make society work. They’re the people who built pyramids & figured out how to farm on mountainsides—they even came up with the concept of zero! Here are ten unexpected lessons we can learn from ancient civilizations. Trust us, this is more than simply history. We’re picking up tips that are relevant in the here and now.
Featured Image Credit: Maugli/Depositphotos.com.
Keeping It Clean with the Romans
The Romans created the basics of sanitation as they built massive aqueducts to bring clean water into cities and had sewers to take away the waste. Living in a place where public baths were the norm & streets weren’t littered with garbage was a rather foreign concept back then! They understood that keeping a city clean involved more than looking good. They had to keep everyone healthy, too.
Farming Smarts from the Incas
The Incas were rather smart with farming as they carved out terraces on mountains to stop the soil from washing away. They also made sure they grew different crops at different times so the land wouldn’t get tired. Essentially, they managed to work with nature instead of against it. That’s quite different from today! Maybe we could be smarter about using our land.
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City Planning Genius from the Indus Valley
The cities of the Indus Valley, like Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro, were laid out in grids that included advanced drainage systems. They even had public baths! The cities had figured out urban planning thousands of years ago in a way that made cities easy to travel through. Perhaps looking back at their designs could help us solve some of today’s city living challenges. Sure, they didn’t have skyscrapers but they did know how to plan properly.
Democracy in Action in Ancient Greece
The Greeks, especially those in Athens, were lovers of democracy, and they believed that everyone should have a say in the big decisions. As such, citizens voted on laws & policies. While we have those today, we can still learn from them. They teach us how important it is to have a voice in how things are run because this makes for a stronger, happier society.
Learning to Chill with the Stoics
Speaking of the Greeks, the Stoics were some incredible thinkers from Ancient Greece & Rome. They believed in keeping their cool by controlling what they could and ignoring the rest—no matter what happened. Let’s adopt that lesson ourselves! We should stop letting the small stuff get to us and focus on what really matters. Such a level of focus would do wonders for our stress levels.
Holistic Health from the Chinese
Ancient Chinese people were firm believers in keeping your body & mind in balance. They used acupuncture and herbal medicine to make sure everything was in harmony, which is something we can learn from. Essentially, taking care of our health involves more than just hitting the gym. Instead, we need to look after our mental and emotional well-being as much as our bodies to be truly healthy.
Fit for Life with the Spartans
That’s not to say physical exercise isn’t important. For example, the Spartans cared a lot about physical fitness by making tough training a part of their daily lives. This taught them to be ready for anything. As such, we should try to follow suit and keep ourselves healthy for whatever life throws our way. That starts with going to the gym!
Zeroing In with the Mayans
The Mayans were ahead of their time—literally. They used zero in mathematics and their calendar which was quite a big deal because understanding the concept of zero led to revolutionary mathematical and scientific discoveries. They weren’t afraid of adopting new ideas since they could change the world. We should feel the same way!
Nature Lovers of Native America
Native American tribes had a strong respect for nature and they achieved this through managing forests & hunting sustainably. They knew that everything was connected. Better yet, they recognized that taking care of the environment meant taking care of themselves and it’s a lesson that’s still important to us today. Being in harmony with nature is good for the planet–it’s also necessary for our survival.
Community Vibes from the Iroquois Confederacy
The Iroquois Confederacy was made up of six Native American tribes and they were supporters of unity. They had the Great Law of Peace, which was a set of rules that governed how they worked together & settled disputes. We could do something like that. Coming together and talking things out to find common ground is valuable during any era. It makes our communities stronger & we can all benefit from living this way.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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