Graveyard of Empires
- noun
- Literature
:
el Cementerio de Imperios
- Historians often refer to Afghanistan as the Graveyard of Empires because of its resistance to conquest.
Examples
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British and Soviet forces both met their match in the Graveyard of Empires.
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The Graveyard of Empires has seen the rise and fall of many nations.
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The documentary traced centuries of conflict in the region called the Graveyard of Empires.
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Why do they call Afghanistan the Graveyard of Empires?
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Historians often refer to Afghanistan as the Graveyard of Empires due to its history of defeating conquerors.
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The documentary explored the struggles faced by powerful armies in the Graveyard of Empires throughout history.
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Many nations have learned the hard way that the region known as the Graveyard of Empires is difficult to occupy.
Synonyms
686
3.0
A mountainous landlocked country in central Asia that borders Iran and Pakistan
Surface Forms
Morphology
Graveyard + of + empire
The phrase combines the literal words 'graveyard' (a place for the dead) and 'empires' so a learner can infer a metaphorical meaning — a place where empires come to an end — but this requires recognizing 'graveyard' as a death/ending metaphor rather than a literal cemetery. The metaphorical extension is common cross-linguistically and somewhat predictable, yet it is not a straightforward compositional meaning, so full understanding may need prior exposure.
Etymology
Graveyard of Empires makes a picture of tombs for lost great powers: a graveyard holding the fallen empires that tried and failed to take the land. So, people use it to mean 'a region that causes the downfall of powerful empires'.