Origins of Civilization: Chapter Two

This chapter begins on the bank of a river. The Tiber River, to be precise. While the Mayans fought, while religions formed, while much was going on far away, a new civilization was taking shape.

In a basket lay two baby boys wrapped in a blanket. It was a cold day, and the boys were shivering and unwell. They would have soon died had it not been for a wolf who heard their weak cries and wandered over.

The wolf picked up the basket in her mouth and took it down the river to her den. The babies cooed as they slowly warmed up. The wolf licked their faces and the boys giggled.

But then came a sound from outside. A human. Someone entered the den, then froze with fear when he saw the wolf. It was a shepherd. The shepherd inched closer to the babies as the wolf growled ferociously. He knew he was in danger, but he would not let the wolf eat these two children.

He grabbed the basket and the wolf snarled, then finally struck. The animal bit him hard, and he took off running. Surprisingly, the wolf did not follow. He ran across the hills toward his cottage.

He showed the babies to his wife and kids, and explained the story of how he found them. He named them Romulus and Remus.

Over the years, Romulus and Remus grew up. Then, on a mild summer afternoon, they had an idea. An idea to build a city. Romulus gathered groups of farmers to build a magnificent metropolis for himself, which would be named Rome. Remus, however, was not pleased. He wanted to rule, and not be in the shadow of his brother.

One night, while Romulus was sitting in the shade of a tree, Remus crept up to him, holding a knife. He hesitated, a few seconds too long, and Romulus noticed. He turned around, astonished, and drew his own knife. He stabbed Remus, and Remus fell down. But he was not done yet. Remus attempted to stab his brother, but missed. Romulus plunged a knife into his heart. There could only be one ruler of Rome. Or so he thought.

Meanwhile, across the sea, in a city called Athens, an idea was taking shape. The idea of democracy-rule of the people. The Athenian leaders wanted the people to represent themselves in government, which would contribute to a better society in their eyes.

And so Athens developed a rule of the people. Any native-born citizen could participate in politics. This worked well for centuries.

But in the far east, yet another empire began to rise. Han China had conquered much of the region, growing more powerful every day. They had begun to construct a wall and were pioneers of the lunar calendar.

And last but not least, across an ocean, in the Americas, the fate of the Maya would be decided. Civil war had plagued the region for decades. But one city, Tikal, was set to emerge victorious.

Tikal was a masterpiece of engineering and architecture. And their leaders were also masters of manipulation. They soon controlled large swaths of Mesoamerica. The Maya had finally been united after 20 years of turmoil-but how long would it last?

As societies flourished in the East, the Americas would see a different fate. Tikal could only handle so many uprisings, of course. How much could their leader take before everything came tumbling down?

While around the world societies flourished, or fell, in the case of Tikal, up in the sky something slightly different was happening-a storm. This storm was not of the size of many others, for it was one of the greatest that the world would ever see. In the Atlantic, it was heading east, toward what was soon to be Rome. And Romulus had no idea. But, as fate had decided, they would be caught in the thick of it. The storm rapidly cruised over the Mediterranean toward Rome. Romulus sat eating a fruit off of a tree, gazing at the sky, wondering what the next day would bring. It was a beautiful evening-for now. The storm was only a few hours away.

Once he went to sleep, the storm crept closer and closer. He woke up and noticed a dark sky, but it was too late. The storm was coming, coming for him. It was as if Remus had cursed the weather upon him, his brother thought. But was it? We may never know.

Romulus went outside and found the sky dark, ablaze with fury. He did not know where to go. He was swept up in a wind, a wind that seemed to be made of divine anger. He fell back onto the ground. He gazed toward the Tiber in the distance, when he remembered the cave. His father had told him of the wolf. It was his only hope.

Romulus took off running, as fast as he could, toward the cave, the cave where he had been for a short time as a young boy. He finally reached it, and snuck inside. He did not expect to find the wolf, as she had likely died long before. But what he found was much different, and much more terrifying. Inside the cave lay a skeleton, and though he did not know it, he could sense that it was the skeleton of his brother.

And here, this chapter comes to an end. What will happen next? Rome has just begun to form. Romulus could make a great king-or could he? But first, he must survive the storm. Han China has grown powerful. Tikal has amassed an empire that may be just about to fall into chaos. And Athens has brought something new to this world-democracy. The rule of the people could dictate future society in unprecedented ways. And with that, Chapter Two is concluded.