Scholars are generally wary in pinpointing the arrival of nationalism any earlier than the Napoleonic Wars (see in particular Anderson, Gellner & Hobsbaum) but the dispute when it arises goes beyond a mere matter of semantics. Having pride in your people's distinct culture and language is evident throughout antiquity and many empires have been built around the singular culture of a distinct people. In the modern era, and before the French revolution, we don't tend to refer to empire's expansion...