Looking back in history, it has always been during times of peace and prosperity that the arts have flourished and reached their highest pinnacle of refinement. Royalty and wealthy sponsors would patronize artists and craftsmen in a quest to display the finest work their culture had to offer, thus driving the standards of excellence higher and higher.In turbulent times, times of strife or struggle, naturally there is no space in the minds of people to consider the patronage of higher culture, and support for the arts declines and is replaced by the concerns of daily life. With no elaborate commissions in which to show off their artistic talent, and no demand for the training of future artists, naturally the splendor of the arts declines as well, and so too the knowledge of how to create such beauty fades.