[t43562]

Surely it's all just about organising people on a larger and larger scale that has benefits? Perhaps an empire is a way to do that which works in the sense that some controlling centre has to be chosen and that's going to happen initially by war and conquest.

The rulers of tribes are going to want "freedom" so they can stay in the game of possibly building their own empire but that doesn't mean their people in the end wouldn't find some consolation in the stability of being under e.g. Roman rule.

I'm sure nobody wants to be under Russian or Chinese rule but if the rest of us cannot organise ourselves on a larger scale than they can .... it might eventually happen.