The greatest asset a human mind possess is not intelligence or empathetic ability or even rational conclusion but plain old curiosity. It is the starting point of everything meaningful ever done. Imagination, the elder cousin of curiosity, can also be argued by some to be the most important fuel for advancing mental capabilities but I believe curiosity precedes imagination. A curious mind is a prerequisite to an imaginative mind.

Having said that, let's look at some of the counter-intuitive or debatable concepts, simply because of a single styled narration we have all grown with describing them.

It is not uncommon for scholars and enthusiasts of history to come across elaborate details of the riches of a mighty kingdom. Case in point - Nizam of Hyderabad (kingdom in the south of Indian peninsula) at the time of Indian Independence. The Nizam was the richest man in the world. Reading literature and passive contemplation of life in the kingdom of richest man brings titillating thoughts. It is only after a careful consideration and a deeper reflection, it dawns that the rich Nizam may not necessarily mean rich populace. It is a real possibility that the modern states provide better living standards than the opulent Nizam.

The older a civilization is, the more legendary it gets in its discussion. Kingdoms of Chola dynasty in the middle ages or even the mighty Magadha empire under Ashoka, the great, may not have been very kind to poor or middle class of the society. The fact that only the upper echelons of the society either had the means and/or muscle to leave behind recorded history further accentuates the problem of bringing into light the life of a common man.

Rich kingdoms could be rich because of booming trade & commerce or because of exorbitant & compulsive taxation. The official records will, of course, never admit that taxation is over-burdening as the collectors were the custodian of records as well. Parallel records of events either lack authenticity or are patchy as we go far back in time. While we have a relatively good understanding of emergence, rise and fall of empires - there's little to say with authority, how life was of a common man in that era.

Historians try to provide a narrative by juxtaposing archaeological evidences - drainage system, land holding records, public baths, coinage, temple carvings, etc. - but that does not necessarily explain the general life and living struggles. In the modern world, there is no shortage of ghost towns/buildings with excellent infrastructure but no people. If a future archaeologist was to uncover some of these ghost towns and conclude that life would have been thriving in that place because of hard evidence of infrastructure proofs, he/she couldn't be far from the truth.

Thus, even after going though copious volumes of historical records (raw and processed) and religiously studying expert views on them, one is none the wiser on whether it would have been a better life under a rich kingdom of the past, a poor kingdom of the past or the one we live in today.