Indeed. We do forget the parallels from the past. It's more than likely that some ancient Greeks were bewailing human folly during the Sicilian war you mention, and someone wrote on their tablet, "If you want a laugh or cry, have a look at the imperialist war and invasion of Sumar by Sargon of Akkad in Mesopotamia 2,000 years ago - it looks and sounds very familiar, tragically so"