Methods of transport and the need to conquer new territory have led to the spread of ideas, cultures and civilization throughout history. This thematic history book traces the parallel developments of transport, and empire building and the tools of war, in one volume. See how the development of transport on land and sea developed through the ages, and see how it varied from country to country according to local needs and terrain. Trace the pattern of war and conquest through history, and compare the favoured weapons and fighting methods of different civilizations and cultures. All the world's major early civilizations and cultures are represented, from the Stone Age and the ancient river valley civilizations of Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and the Nile, to the continuing cultures of the Arctic and Native America.