None
It’s often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but as these failed civilizations can attest, breakfast is clearly also the most important meal of the millennia.
1. Aztec Empire
While scholars have been in disagreement for years as to what caused the fall of the Aztec empire, the preeminent experts know it was because the Aztec people thought they could skate through and eat early lunches every day.
2. Mongol Empire
It’s impressive how much conquering Genghis and Kublai Khan did without the assistance of four-egg omelets and heaping portions of hash browns, but it’s also no wonder they usually ran out of steam by 3 p.m. or so.
3. Mayan Civilization
The Mayans rose to power by starting off every morning eating eggs, bacon, hot cakes, and buttery wheat biscuits, but when vast plagues hit their wheat fields, breakfast became nearly impossible to prepare, and they soon died out.
4. Çatalhöyük
The ruins of Çatalhöyük in southern Turkey are often considered to be the world’s oldest city, dating back 9,000 years. Archaeologists have discovered a complex system of linked dwellings and burial grounds, but as of yet have not unearthed evidence of a single syrup bottle.
5. Atlantis
It’s hard enough to poach an egg when you’re not completely submerged in water. The Atlantians never stood a chance.
