
Do civilisations collapse? - sergeant3
https://aeon.co/essays/what-the-idea-of-civilisational-collapse-says-about-history
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peterburkimsher
tl;dr "people lived through these times and employed their coping strategies –
they selectively preserved aspects of their culture and rejected others"

Another example that has been on the front page a lot recently is the Romans.
The academics moved from the western capital (Rome) to the eastern capital
(Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul). That's like saying if California got
bombed, people would move over to New York. Then after 1000 years, the eastern
capital was invaded, so they moved back to Rome and started the "Renaissance".
The idea that the civilisation fell and rebuilt is a western bias.

Right now we live in a time where communists in China tried to destroy
thousands of years of history. Most of the valuable items were taken to Taiwan
though, and are preserved in the National Palace Museum.

There are a few empires that destroyed everything in their path (e.g. Genghis
Khan), but most of them integrated conquered empires into their own.

"Now you fear punishment and beg for your lives, so I will let you free, if
not for any other reason so that you can see the difference between a Greek
king and a barbarian tyrant, so do not expect to suffer any harm from me. A
king does not kill messengers." \- Alexander the Great

