You could say that there was a culture of expansion. One could make the argument that they were more technologically sophisticated than some of their neighbors, especially when it came to military might. And as it expanded, it definitely was able to take advantage of weak neighbors. So now let's just take a step back. What we've done in this exercise is a rough approximation of the various dimensions that might lead to an empire rising. It's by no means comprehensive. And I suggest for you to think about what dimensions would you add to this?