During this period, five different regions of the world had civilizations that advanced the frontiers of knowledge, government and the arts. Most of them developed independently of each other, because there was very little communication across long distances in the ancient world. No telephones or the internet existed yet, and sending a message from one side of Europe to the other required a dangerous trip of many weeks or months by a messenger. Good roads did not exist, and messages may never reach their intended destinations. | During this period, five different regions of the world had civilizations that advanced the frontiers of knowledge, government and the arts. Most of them developed independently of each other, because there was very little communication across long distances in the ancient world. No telephones or the internet existed yet, and sending a message from one side of Europe to the other required a dangerous trip of many weeks or months by a messenger. Good roads did not exist, and messages may never reach their intended destinations. |