Why is the Roman Empire important?

It is important because all that we know, basically, came from the Roman Empire. They are our ancestors (the Romans), and if it wasn't for the Romans, the modern world would be nothing like it is now. Thanks to the barbarians (as well our ancestors, and the thugs who contributed to the empire's fall), we are not as advanced as we could have been. Because of the fall of the Roman empire, there was a Middle Ages, which is when everything, from technology to common sense, completed reversed and people literally started over. The Renassaince was a rebirth of all the ways of the Old World (the Roman Empire), and all the knowledge and technology rediscovered kept building up until this very moment. So, if the Roman empire had not fallen from all the countless reasons, we would today be an exceedingly advanced society much better than we are now. This is stuff no one should be ignorant of, because all we have can be to thanks to the Romans.