@GefreiterKania
It's not that hard, just as noticing the quality of milk being prepped and served.
1. Is it fresh or is it rotten? To what degree is it fresh or rotten? Somewhere in the middle or on one of the edges? (Ottomon Empire vs The German Empire 1870-1914)
2. Was it preppered by human hands mostly and hand crafted as much as possible? Or machine made? How many mouths were fed? (Capitalistic production of bricks or ancient buildings of Egipt?
Home made bread vs grocery store bought toast bread.)
3. Has it stood the test of time or ruined before being prepared? (Carthage vs Rome, Burgandy vs France vs HRE, Teutonic Order vs Poland, Inca Empire vs Spanish Empire, Andalusia vs Castille, Moscovy vs Golden Horde, Empire of China vs British Empire etc)
Many nations fall when sitting on ones own laurels, I have personally experienced it and that of my family and "caste" or "class". Nations and individual people aren't that different in that regard either
Could you honestly convince anyone on this forum that any nation in Africa except Egypt are able nowadays to build anything surpassing Egypts ancient pyramids? That would draw tourists to their country over Egypt for hundreds of years? Which country is capable and willing to build something magnificent of that kind of magnitude in this day and age with wonders of technology and means, only to have been considered magic in the past.
Compare the continents with same measure, how many countries, states in America (south or north), Asia or Europe could create wonders competing with such kind of attraction? Then you might start to realise how to see "Civilization"