Differences in Time

The conceptualization of the impending future is an interesting way to control a civilization. Perhaps what made Babylon different from Egypt was their divergent concepts of time. With Egypt's cyclical time, it goes without saying that things were seen as coming around again. However, Babylonian and Assyrian ideas of the relation between present and future is something quite different. Maybe the pressing future-bound presence was a facet of the novelty of empirical rule. They were always looking toward what was next, not savoring the moment. This is how an empire expands; a continuous striving for something more. However, the tides may have changed by Egypt's heyday because empires had already come and gone. Thus, the cyclical nature of their conception of time. Everything will run its course and come around again.

I found these divergences noteworthy because of the nature of Babylonian rulers, most importantly, Hammurabi. His fierceness and insatiability could be contributed to the empire's concept of time. This ever-present future is of a haunting nature and keeps one striving. This is not to say that Egyptian rulers were lax. In fact, it would make sense for them to be more ostentatious or lavish than Babylonian or Assyrian kings because of their understanding of the transient nature of all things. I believe many aspects of civilizations can be controlled by the civilization's idea of the nature of time.