These GIFs show the rise and fall of the world's empires

The world has always been in a state of conflict and change. 

Throughout all of human history, empires have risen only to be overtaken and then to fall because of some combination of internal pressures and external assaults. Such broad sweeps of history are generally hard to picture — especially contextually with the rest of the world. 

Fortunately, Ollie Bye has created a YouTube video that shows the entire history of the world's empires rising and falling. We have GIFed some of the pivotal moments of human history below. 

The Persian Achaemenid Empire is overthrown by Alexander the Great, who marches from Macedonia to the borders of India. Alexander's Macedonian Empire splinters apart upon his death.

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In large part due to the generalship of Julius Caesar, the Romans conquer modern France, helping to set up Rome as the predominant power in the west.

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China is split among competing dynasties and Rome splits into its eastern and western branches. The Western Roman Empire steadily loses ground, and the Huns take much of Eastern Europe, foreshadowing the theme of invaders from Central Asia terrorizing the west.

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