THE CAUSAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS
Let me help you. Your civilization will advance or stagnate or die by the single criteria of the available vehicles for males to compete in order to increase their status and therefore position in the dominance hierarchy, and therefore attraction to women for sex and men for followers and opportunities to exploit.
There is a very good reason that distance from the point of geographic origin provides an increase in median intelligence. In all of human history, exit is the only means of preventing regression toward the mean.
Let me help you. higher latitude, distance from water, and heterogeneity of peoples, work against your civilization. Europe was easier for warrior aristocracy to colonize. the levant worse. Diversity is your enemy. Cool climes, proximity to water and waterways, and a homogeneity of people improve your chances.
The only means of preventing regression to the mean is the culling of the underclasses.
Exit, Distance, Climate, Manorialism, can no longer defend us.
Western Civilization let pandora out, more so than urbanization.