While the development of culture was
essential to forming familial-like bonds that lead to the creation of
state-level societies, adaptability of the ruling body was the single biggest
determinant factor in the continuation of any ancient empire.
Adaptability of societal structures has
driven the progress of cultural evolution.
From the harsh Paleolithic planes of Africa to the height of Roman
civilization, the ability of a culture to adapt to both external and internal
changes played a major role in its survivability. Unlike other social species, the human ruling
class directs societies, at least in part.
Out of self-interest and special levels of social intelligence found
only in great apes, the leading individuals have guided the great cultures into
cataclysmic battles for not only their own survival, but also the very culture
they shape. Through the horrors of war,
human societies found either survival in glorious victory, or they disappeared
into the pages of antiquity.
The duality of culture and warfare seem
at odds, although they often walk the same path. Cultural views, like those of some religions,
sometimes condemn violence and the dogs of war starve themselves without
cultural backing and a leash. Still, the
greatest pinnacles of human progress have come at the end of both sword and
pen. However, the greatest falls came
from either the tip of a hired blade or a sip of venomous wine.
Before the great ancient states fell,
they first caused numerous other, lesser states to fall. The heads of those states failed to see the
approaching storm and devise a stratagem to save their own necks. So, it may be tempting to conclude that
adaptability in warfare is the paramount factor in the survival of a society,
but without careful examination, that conclusion would be premature.
