Legacies of ancient times present today (I)
November 25, 2025
By Alejandro Serna
Our daily lives are strongly influenced by the past, both individually and collectively. Although time moves on and society evolves, many patterns, customs, values and even conflicts from other eras continue to manifest themselves in different ways. This leads us to reflect on the fact that the past is not something that has been completely overcome, but rather an active and constant part of our present.
The pillars that laid the foundations for these valuable legacies that today shape our culture, politics, science and art date back to ancient times, and more specifically to civilisations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome, among others. Today I will talk about the origins of some of these traditions and knowledge that we have adopted from the past. Let’s begin:
Democracy: this is one of the most important legacies left to us by Greek civilisation, especially the city of Athens. In the 6th century BC, Cleisthenes created a political system in which citizens could participate directly in government decisions, although this democracy was limited as only free men born in Athens could participate, excluding women, slaves and foreigners. This political system consisted of three main institutions:
- The Ekklesia (Assembly), where all male citizens over the age of 18 could meet to debate and vote on laws, decide on war or peace, and elect certain magistrates.
- The Boule (Council of 500), made up of 500 citizens chosen by lottery each year. Its function was to prepare the issues that would later be discussed in the Assembly and to supervise the work of public officials.
- The People’s Courts (Heliea), responsible for administering justice and composed of many citizens also chosen by lottery.
Currently, some nations around the world are governed by democratic systems inspired by that model, the closest example being Switzerland, which has mechanisms of direct democracy, such as referendums, popular initiatives and frequent votes. Another similar case would be the United States, inspired by the republican ideals of Athens and Rome.
Law and legislation: these arose as a social necessity to regulate community life, resolve conflicts and establish responsibilities. The first rules were customs passed down orally, based on experience and tradition. The rules were linked to the divine because, among other reasons, they had to do with authority, legitimacy, and social control, since ancient societies sought to make laws unquestionable. Therefore, if the rule came from a god, no one could dispute it, which strengthened the ruler’s power. Furthermore, if disobeying the law was also disobeying the gods, the fear of divine punishment helped to maintain discipline.
After various conflicts between different societies, it was agreed that laws should be written down. The origins of written laws can be traced back to Mesopotamia with the Code of Hammurabi (18th century BC), Greece with the laws of Draco (7th century BC) and Rome with the Law of the Twelve Tables (5th century BC).
- The Code of Hammurabi in Babylon begins with a prologue in which the king claimed to have received the laws directly from Shamash, the god of justice. This gave divine authority to his rule.
- Draco’s laws were the first written code of the city of Athens and were enacted by the Athenian lawmaker Draco. He was tasked with putting into writing the oral norms that only the aristocrats knew. His goal was to guarantee equality before the law.
- The Law of the Twelve Tables of Rome is considered the basis of Roman law. It arose in a context of social and political conflict between the Patricians (the aristocratic class that controlled political and religious power) and the Plebeians (the people without full political rights). To protect themselves from abuse, the Plebeians demanded that the laws be written down and made public, so that everyone would know their rights and duties. This event led to the creation of a commission to draft the Law of the Twelve Tables.
All of this forms the basis of our daily lives and governs how we relate to others.
These are some of the customs we have adopted from ancient times. Next week, I will talk about others in the second part of this weekly article.