re: Time lapse of Every Battle in History

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Plus if you did an average across the centuries, China and its various dynasties are almost certainly the richest country overall in history. There were big, big reasons to invade China if you could muster the force to take them on. Why do you think they built a big fricking wall?

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China and India historically have been the richest countries in the world. That richness made the West Asian frontier extremely important for European and West Asian empires, as control of those trade routes meant a massive amount of wealth. You can even characterize Islam's rise as a proto-merchant class (as Muhammad was a merchant) unifying various tribes who had been in the firing line during the many Roman-Byzantine and Sassanian wars between 200-600. The control of those trade routes is tremendously important, important enough that Ottoman control of Istanbul (which was at the crossroads of numerous trade routes, hence it's importance) was enough to drive Europeans to seek different routes by sea. Ottoman power, which was considerable, was eventually weakened enough to limit its holdings. But the reason for the wealth of West Asian empires, and why West Asian countries like Iran and Turkey are so important geopolitically has to do with their east-west orientation. If China succeeds with its new Silk Road project, I think you will find that those countries again dominate West Asian politics as they have done since Siege of Baghdad in earnest. This might be especially important if China and India again become the largest two countries in the world in terms of their economies, as they are predicted to do by 2050.