books.google.fr - The world's first known empires took shape in Mesopotamia between the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf, beginning around 2350 BCE. The next 2,500 years witnessed sustained imperial growth, bringing a growing share of humanity under the control of ever-fewer states. Two thousand...https://books.google.fr/books/about/The_Dynamics_of_Ancient_Empires_State_Po.html?hl=fr&id=6vnkts2rOJUC&utm_source=gb-gplus-shareThe Dynamics of Ancient Empires : State Power from Assyria to Byzantium