▁A ges ▁was ▁a ▁common ▁belief ▁among ▁ancient ▁cult ures . ▁ ▁The ▁more ▁limited ▁cy clic al ▁view ▁of ▁history ▁defined ▁as ▁repeating ▁cycles ▁of ▁events ▁was ▁put ▁forward ▁in ▁the ▁academic ▁world ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ▁in ▁histor ios oph y ▁( a ▁branch ▁of ▁histor i ography ) ▁and ▁is ▁a ▁concept ▁that ▁falls ▁under ▁the ▁category ▁of ▁soci ology . ▁However , ▁Poly b ius , ▁I bn ▁Kh ald un ▁( see ▁As abi yy ah ), ▁and ▁Gi amb att ista ▁V ico ▁can ▁be ▁seen ▁as ▁prec urs ors ▁of ▁this ▁analysis . ▁The ▁Sa ec ul um ▁was ▁identified ▁in ▁Roman ▁times . ▁In ▁recent ▁times , ▁P . ▁R . ▁S ark ar ▁in ▁his ▁Social ▁Cy cle ▁Theory ▁has ▁used ▁this ▁idea ▁to ▁elaborate ▁his ▁interpretation ▁of ▁history . ▁▁ 1 9 th ▁and ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁theories ▁Among ▁the ▁prominent ▁histor ios oph ers , ▁Russian ▁phil os opher ▁Nikol ai ▁Dan ile w ski ▁( 1 8 2 2 – 1 8 8 5 ) ▁is ▁important . ▁In ▁Ros si ia ▁i ▁Ev rop a ▁( 1 8 6 9 ) ▁he ▁differenti ated ▁between ▁various ▁smaller ▁civil izations ▁( E gypt ian , ▁Chinese , ▁Pers ian , ▁Greek , ▁Roman , ▁German , ▁and ▁S lav , ▁among ▁others ). ▁He ▁wrote ▁that ▁each ▁civil ization ▁has ▁a ▁life ▁cycle , ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ▁the