 Thus begins the rise and fall of a series of empires over approximately two thousand years.Innis mentions many of them, but focuses more attention on innovations that facilitated their growth.These include the advancement of civil law under Hammurabi, the development of mathematics including fixed standards of weights and measures, as well as the breeding of horses that combined speed with strength and that, along with three-man chariots, helped deliver spectacular military victories to the Assyrians.