Right, but they're not in use today...whereas some Roman engineering is still in use, for example.

The answer is probably something from religion, but an old one I know is that the gauge used on railways here in the UK can be traced back to Roman times. Might be an urban myth but it's apparently the same axle-span as a Roman Chariot.

A lot of roads here are also built on old Roman roads

Ritual circumcision, anyone?

That always has me in a turmoyel.

Hmm, what about the Chinese and Jewish calendars? Although they don't require much maintenance, they're human systems that have been in use for thousands of years.

There's a candidate 20 miles from my home, a solar calendar system involving cairns, petroglyphs and natural landscape features that is estimated to be 9000 years old, built by the Fremont culture originally. The fact that the Paiute Indians apparently knew what it was in the 1800's suggest ongoing use. There are solstice gatherings at the site with an astronomer and tribal elder, I've been and it's pretty impressive (albeit chaotic with all the people). The calendar charts even note leap year, lunar cycles and track Venus.

http://www.parowangap.org/

I would hazard there are small ancient communities that have unbroken records of agricultural systems that continue until today. The Basques come to mind.

genetic engineering of dogs?

There is a 2000 year old irrigation system still in use down in Sichuan- I remember reading that the earthquake damaged it but its still running nonetheless.

Also, in XinJiang there is a market that has been operating over 2000 years-it once was part of the Silk Road- they apparently sell everything from piles of random food to modern goods to horses (horse traders come from Siberia, Mongolia, etc). They also sell really tasty almonds. (Justin brought me some)

I guess the definition/refinement of the question also matters... I mean, you could consider something like "cooking" to be the oldest continually maintained system if you looked at it the right way. (Even in the sense of a particular type of cooking culture- XinJiang cuisine has pretty much been mutton-on-a-stick over low coals sold by vendors on the side of the road for a few thousand years.)

Oh- almost forgot one- last year the Chinese govt abolished the agricultural tax that had existed for 5000 years in various forms (the latest one was basically the same for the last 2600 years). So agricultural taxation would be a suggestion- except, it doesnt exist anymore as of 2007.
B


Edited at 2008-12-03 03:52 pm (UTC)

Maybe i'm odd but...migration patterns for birds and certain insects never seem to change.

Not that they maintain them, in any way other than genetic, but --

You seem to be limiting it to maintained by the conscious will of human beings, yes? Because biological homeostasis is pretty much going to win otherwise.

I would guess that it is probably the Hindu caste system, or the Hindu religion in general. It's often forgotten that Hinduism is the oldest major religion still in practice.

Not so much forgotten as not known, in this house. Until now. Thank you!

Now, I read that as "barcraft". The practice of serving drinks. That goes back a way...

I was just about to suggest some form of hunting and gathering. We still use farming techniques developed thousands of years ago, especially in regards to irrigation. However, if you're talking structural or an actual object still in use, then I have no clue. The previously mentioned Roman sewage system is a good educated guess.

"process" system?
Genetic engineering. From domesticating animals and crops when we didn't know about man-made selection to didling with genes.

"artificial-physical" system?
Architecture? The building of things.

"artifical-non-physical" system?
Burial ritual? Grave digger being one of the oldest non-survival-related professions?
Religion? Probably beats grave digger by a few years.

death and taxes...

death rituals, and of course, any system of taxes/offerings/extortion.

Even the Neanderthals put flowers in their burials.