The idea that human civilization has been gradually evolving over time in a linear manner, is a relatively new concept that was formulated during the period of colonization. Nearly every ancient culture believed otherwise. They said that time moves in cycles, smaller and larger, and that our civilization has gone through innumerable ups and downs over eons. With the emergence of new scientific data, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the ancients knew what they were talking about, and we have been far too quick to denounce the collective wisdom of our ancestors as the flights of fancy of primitives.