Thread by @historynerd34

Back to this Roman civilization thing because it bugs me. People hold up Rome for the architecture, the roads, governance and the technology.

Not discounting any of this, but let's look to some non-European civilizations in comparison.

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The Harappans had indoor plumbing and constructed their buildings to catch the winds for ancient air conditioning 5000 yrs ago.

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The Achaemenids had a similar road system - the Royal Road - connecting all parts of the Empire. It was paved, with regular rest stops to switch horses or rest, and was used for an early postal system.

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The Achaemenids also had the qanat, an underground irrigation & water supply system that provided cities with a protected water source, and no lead.

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If we look @ tht giant marker of Western civilization, Christianity, the Achaemenids have a lot better press in the Bible than the Romans.

Cyrus freed the Israelites from the Babylonian captivity & assisted rebuilding Jerusalem. Wht role did Romans play in the New Testament?

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Plus, the Achaemenids were quite a bit more tolerant an empire than the Romans, allowing local people to keep their kings & cultures - hence the title Shah, or "king of kings."

They certainly did not throw Israelites to the lions.

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There are scholars who think the Achaemenid religion of Zoroastrianism my have even influenced Christianity, though this is up for debate.

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Speaking of Christianity, it spread & became legally accepted by the Nubian kingdom long before they stopped persecuting Christians in Rome. Christianity's history in east Africa is as old (or older) than in Europe.

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Additionally, were it not for Arab & Muslim (not always the same thing despite stereotypes) scholars preserved ancient Greek & Roman texts tht would have been lost to the West & translated early biblical writings from the original Aramaic - language of Jesus - for others.

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Those numbers tht helped drive the Scientific Revolution? Indian; Gupta to be exact. They developed the numbers we use, as well as the decimal, concept of 0, and π, not to mention classifying thousands of diseases & medicinal plants, and performing cataract surgery.

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We call our numbers Arabic numerals as they came to Europe via Arab traders and scholars w/ all of this other lost ancient knowledge.

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Let's not forget tht the technologies tht allowed the West to "rise" came from the East. Gunpowder/firearms, the magnetic compass, the astrolabe, lateen sails, the caravel, the printing press. Much of this came from China, a civilization far richer & older than Rome.

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Beyond these inventions, Chinese astronomers disc. the Crab Nebula, their scientists disc. a vaccine for smallpox, and created mechanical clocks - incl. One 80 ft tall.

The Chinese specialized in goods tht Romans wanted -silk & porcelain - while wanting little from Rome.

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Many of these goods were developed during the medieval period, when Western progress - even w/ Rome's influence - had slowed considerably.

These innovations & ideas eventually moved west via long established eastern trade routes. Many came during the Pax Mongolica.

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The Mongol Peace helped contribute more to world history, and thus Western civilization, than the Pax Romana.

Later European dominance relied on eastern ideas & technologies carried west by Mongols & other eastern nomads.

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Back to this Roman architecture. Admittedly, it is impressive, but is it more so than the Inca road network? Ten of thousands of miles of paved roads in the mountains. Cities carved out of the tops of mountains.

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This is all knowledge to be gained from a standard world history course.

Imagine what stepping out of a Eurocentric bubble & studying African, or Arab, or Indian, or Chinese, or indigenous American history could do to open & expand your worldview beyond Europe.

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What do I know though, I'm just a history teacher.

Fin.