Just as Daniel had predicted, the Babylonian Empire was ultimately conquered by the Persians; the Persians were, in turn, conquered by the Greeks; and, the Greeks were conquered by the Romans. But who conquered the Romans?

The Roman Empire ultimately disintegrated into pieces, and each segment seems to have had its 'day in the sun'. Ensuing struggles for power, and the influx of external tribes into the cohesion that once was Rome, continued over almost two millennia.

In our series reviewing the rise of the "New Europe," we'll take a brief glimpse at the caldron that has been stewing with tensions and ambitions for many centuries.