The View of the Fall

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This is a timeline of all known empires, nations, and peoples that have existed across the world including how long they were around for. I believe it is a significant graphical representation of just how many times civilizations have risen and fallen over the millennia. 
This second photo serves to underline just how much 1000 years of change in one region can look like. This is a map of European borders snapshotted and placed on one map over the span of 1000 years. It really serves to highlight that change, like time, is inexorable and nothing truly lasts forever, not even our greatest civilizational achievements.

This table, discussing the factors that bring about the loss of a civilization, was written by Adibah Sulaiman. It mostly deals with how he perceives an Islamic or Asian Civilization being able to fall. With this view coming from a different culture than me there are still a number of factors that he highlights in this chart that are still universal to all humans. This proves that Civilizations may have some unique circumstances for collapsing, however, the fundamentals can still hold true no matter where geographically or historically you go.

(Left and Below)
Both of these statues show how much emphasis and reverence we place on our ancestors. In this case, the idea of Boudicca fighting for a united Britain ,which she was not (left), or Arminius for Germany (bottom). Neither of these people's exist anymore. However, the need to continue what is perceived to be their heritage by modern generations shows just how much a civilization can fall but never be truly forgotten, even if its memory is taken and skewed to fit more modern views and beliefs.

These are the 12,000 year old ruins of what is believed to be a temple. Located in Southern Turkey this sight is known as Gobekli Tepe. It is a temple dedicated to unknown gods and built by a mostly unknown and unknowable people 12,000 years ago. This is one of the earliest signs of civilization on Earth. What I find so intriguing is that it is not clear who the inheritors of such an ancient wonder are. No one alive can say they are the true descendants of these people. In that case, is it fair to ask, is there a point in time where a civilization has truly fallen? I believe it is the same principle that applies when people die. They are never truly dead until they are forgotten.

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