In the year 52 BC, Julius Ceasar spoke his most famous words: "Alea iacta est". These words marked the creation of a political system concentrated around one person wielding absolute power over his subordinates, regardless their ethnic or cultural identity, through direct means. However, Imperium Romanum was only a late example of such a system: for example, the Persian Empire under Darius the Great stretched from Indus to Egypt, and China's influence in the Asia was enormous. Such systems were known for its political stability, wealth, and high living standards.