Do you think that these second-wave empires hold "lessons" for for the present, or are contemporary circumstances unique as to render the distant past irrelevant?

Lessons for the present

- military strategy

- brutal leaders don't last long, less moral societies don't last long

- peasants, slaves need either social mobility or a say in policy to overcome the perceived social injustice.

Classical empires continue to be used as models and inspirations.

1. Mao Zedong compared himself to Shihuangdi

2. Modern Indians pride themselves on Ashoka's nonviolence and tolerance