Without the ability to read ancient Chinese and Maya text, we would be limited to archeological findings and guesses made based on them. The fact, that we can read ancient texts, let us know for example:
the names and times of rule of many rulers,
the religious practices
some events from the past
some cultural and technological inventions such as their knowledge of astronomy
the social composition of the society
Our knowledge of urban live comes from the description of customs and occational information about who lived where and how much was paid for what services
The racial and religious discrimination against Jewish people. Think of Nazism.
the system of electrons surrounding the nucleus of an atom. The name electron cloud is an informal way to describe an atomic orbital.
The spread<span> of </span>Christianity<span> was made a lot easier by the efficiency of the </span>Roman Empire<span>, but its principles </span>were<span> sometimes misunderstood and membership of the sect could be dangerous. Although Jesus had died, his message had not. Word of his teachings </span>spread<span> to Jewish communities across the </span>empire<span>.</span>
