The process of "destructive creation" -- how war destroys lives but creates civilization.

Civilizations need a shared set of beliefs to survive; religion serves as the stability and cohesion of ancient Egypt.

The Middle East, site of the world's first villages, towns and cities, was the birthplace of civilization, as cities were vessels for invention and innovation.

The Indus Valley relied on the free flow of trade rather than imposing order through war or religion.