Humans have been around a long time, and although survival may have dominated everyday life, there have been enough examples of ancient intellectual development and wisdom to give me cause to emphasize "There is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9, Holy Bible)
"The wisdom literature from Sumer and Babylonia is among the most ancient in the world, with the Sumerian documents dating back to the third millennium BC and the Babylonian dating to the second millennium BC. Many of the extant texts uncovered at Nippur are as ancient as the 18th century BC. Google AI"
I am a believer in a Liberal Arts education because it opens a person's mind to think, even think "outside the box."
Heraclitus* famously stated, "There is nothing permanent except change." *Heraclitus (/ˌhɛrəˈklaɪtəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἡράκλειτος Hērákleitos; fl. c. 500 BC) was an ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, . . ."
If you want an efficient way to learn about ancient wisdom, I recommend: Bartlett's Familiar Quotations ISBN 0-316-08460-3, first edition was offered in 1882. I have the 17th edition, published in 2002.
Not a book to just read through, but great for scanning or using like a dictionary or encyclopedia.
A search of ancient books of wisdom will generate a list for you to consider.
