A Little History of the World

Human invention is both a constant and a mechanism of change for Gombrich, and he frequently includes the contributions that each society or culture made to civilization as a whole. Far from just describing new technologies or tools, he discusses the advent of new ideas, perspectives, and techniques as types of invention. From fire to the alphabet to philosophy to arithmetic to the steam engine, he details the origin and impact of a new innovation. He often frames this description by encouraging the reader to imagine the world without this invention and to therefore feel a sense of gratitude.

The reliable pattern of violent battle and conquest is a motif that appears throughout Gombrich’s history, though it manifests in different ways as technology changes. He presents conflicts, like the wars between Athens and Sparta, as inevitable. The constant invasion of Eastern hordes is described as a repeating verse of the poem of history (130). Gombrich dedicates a great deal of his book to the stories of powerful conquerors, warriors, and military strategists like Alexander the Great, Hannibal, and Napoleon, suggesting that these figures are some of the most important characters in the story of history.