Who had the greatest impact on Western Civilization?

[Ayetooey]

Romans.

[Csanád]

Romans I guess, but they copied the Greeks, who copied the Babylonians, who copied the Sumerians. So, because Sumerians were Magyars, therefore Finno-Ugrians. Or turks. What the fuck are we.

[Adamm]

Define western civilization.

[Creoda]

Indo-Europeans.

[renaissance12]

Romans and the rich "Italian" cities of XV and XVI -XVII centuries
Don't forget Charles the great

[TheOldNorth]

Greek and Roman civilization emerged from Ancient Sumer and Egypt (Pantheon, Gods, Structures everything)

Anatolia is a birthplace of western culture.

Later Roman Hellenic Civilization was destroyed and leftover was copied by Germanic, Slavic and Central Asian people.

I think we all forget the contributions to western society that the germanic and celtic peoples had, and not just in warfare either, having had the soul of adventure and bravery, commonly valued things in a conservative western tradition, while romans only ever fought to subjugate, and greeks mostly to defend, the germanic and celtic peoples often fought to liberate, there's just a bit of Arminius and Vercingetorix in every great revolutionary from Washington to Bolivar, to those who saved or improved culture like Charles Martel, Charlemagne, and Peter the great,
though I'd say there's more of a Caesar in every dictator or non-royal born/adopted emperor, from Napoleon to Hitler, and Lenin (Stalin is the Augustus of this metaphor).

[TheOldNorth]

Indo-Europeans.

good answer

[TheOldNorth]

Illyrians are Celtic-like people who lived East of Celts (Pannonian Plain), they lived primitive lives like Germanics, Celts etc.. they became relevant after Romanization somewhere in 0 A.D. period

'primitive'

[Kyp]

Sumerians, Greeks, Romans, Germans

[JamesBond007]

Sumerians, (Ancient) Egyptians, Phoenicians, (Ancient) Greeks and (Ancient) Romans in a single word: Mediterraneans.

Spoiler!

also Italians but strangely they are not listed...

Everyone else who came later adopted things (laws, science, philosophy etc...) from these civilizations.

The science and maths of Sumeria, ancient Egypt and Pheonicians are greatly exaggerated. Math is the queen of the sciences and serious real serious theoretically aware math did not start until Euclid, Pythagoras and crew.