Monotheism, the Ten Commandments, the Torah and the Prophets.
Judaism is egalitarian and values all individuals, both men and women. The wealthy have no privileges; and the poor are valued, treated well and their opinions listened to. (Compare this to those societies in which only mature, land-owning males had any legal status.)
Judaism applied laws, and rules of moral behavior, to all its members equally. The laws of Moses form much of Western legal background.
Quote:
"I will insist that the Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation ... fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations" (John Adams, 2nd President of the United States).
"Certainly, the world without the Jews would have been a radically different place. Humanity might have eventually stumbled upon all the Jewish insights, but we cannot be sure. All the great conceptual discoveries of the human intellect seem obvious and inescapable once they had been revealed, but it requires a special genius to formulate them for the first time. The Jews had this gift. To them we owe the idea of equality before the law, both Divine and human; of the sanctity of life and the dignity of human person; of the individual conscience and of collective conscience, and social responsibility" (Paul Johnson, Christian historian, author of A History of the Jews and A History of Christianity).
You have asked a wide-ranging question with many hundreds of details in its answer. I'll provide a few examples, some of which are fundamental to today's accepted norms:
1) The Jews' monotheistic religious tradition shaped the Western beliefs about God.
2) The 7-day week, including a day of rest for everyone.
3) The concept of morality was also the work of the Hebrews, including the dignity and value of a person. Under Israelite law, everyone had recourse to the courts. A child, widow, wife, etc., could initiate legal action against any citizen to redress perpetrated harm. Compare this to those societies in which only mature, land-owning males had rights.
Also:
4) Parents are responsible for teaching children. Illiteracy among Israelites, in every generation, was rare.
5) Infants are to be protected and cared for, whether or not they turned out to be the gender you were hoping for.
6) Cruelty to animals is not acceptable.
7) Government is accountable to a higher authority. In other ancient societies, the monarch was all-powerful. Among the Israelites, however, the king was under the constant scrutiny of the Divinely-informed prophets, who didn't hesitate to castigate him publicly for any misstep in the sight of God. And, other than for the crime of rebellion, the king couldn't punish any citizen by his own decision. He was obligated by the Torah-procedures like everyone else.
8) A robber repays double to his victim, or works it off. Cutting off the hands of a robber is unacceptable. Debtors are are not imprisoned or harmed. They are made to sell property and/or work to repay what they owe. Compare this to the Roman practice by which anyone could accuse a man of owing them money and the debtor could be killed.
9) It is the responsibility of the community to support the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger passing through.
It is important to note that every one of the above was instituted among the Hebrews (a.k.a. the Israelites) thousands of years earlier than in other nations. Here's just one example: Aristotle, who was among the greatest of the Greeks, and Seneca, the famous Roman, both write that killing one's young babies is perfectly acceptable.
The long, rich history of Judaism gives the Western world much of its shape today. Many of the laws, traditions, culture and values are directly attributable to Judaism.Link: History of Judaism
Christianity is a legacy of Judaism. All the first Christians were Jewish including Jesus.
Some Corinth legacies include colonies throughout the world and especially in Africa and Europe. Other legacies include bronze statues, Corinthian columns, poetry, pottery, and architecture.
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Some Inca legacies include their impressive architecture, such as Machu Picchu and other stone structures; their advanced irrigation systems for farming; and their intricate system of roads that connected their vast empire. Additionally, the Inca's method of record-keeping using quipus and their unique agricultural practices are notable legacies.
Euclid, Pythagorus, Archimedes ......
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Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.Three of the many Roman legacies are government, law and the military.
Legacies - novel - has 381 pages.
Lorien Legacies was created in 2010-08.
Cleopatra's story inspired Shakespeare and several movies.
Cleopatra's story inspired Shakespeare and several movies.
Lots of those. In more or less the order of most traditional to least traditional, here are some: Modern Orthodox Judaism Masorti (Traditional) Judaism Conservative Judaism Reform Judaism Liberal Judaism Reconstructionist Judaism Renewal Judaism Humanistic Judaism