Final answer:
The Ancient River Valley Civilizations, Greece, and Rome contributed immensely to areas such as writing, political systems, philosophy, language, and culture, shaping the Western civilization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lasting contributions from the Ancient River Valley Civilizations, Greece, and Rome are numerous and have significantly shaped Western civilization. The Ancient River Valley Civilizations such as Egypt along the Nile River contributed to the development of writing, monumental architecture, and advancements in various fields of knowledge including history, astronomy, and medicine.
Ancient Greece is known for its groundbreaking forms of political organization such as democracy, empirical philosophy, drama genres like comedy and tragedy, and the historical method. The words "democracy" and "republic" arise from this period, signifying citizen participation in government; philosophical thinking by figures like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation for Western philosophy and political science.
Similarly, Ancient Rome, which was greatly influenced by Greek culture, left a profound impact through its legal and governmental systems and by spreading Hellenistic culture across its empire. The Latin language spoken by the Romans evolved into the Romance languages such as French, Spanish, and Italian. The Roman Republic, with concepts like res publica, introduced the idea that governance should be public and accountable to the citizens.
The collective influence of these civilizations can still be seen today in our political systems, legal structures, languages, art, architecture, and philosophical thought, as they continue to define the identity of "The West" and its cultural heritage.