Rosetta stones that silently teaches a way of living, storing accumulated beliefs for future generations. Humans are story tellers. By the flickering light of campfires and candles people have told stories of history, stories of success, stories of battles, survival, and death. This is the thread that binds generations and furthers the knowledge of cultures. These are fictions, yet they are as real as the air we breathe.
Societies live and die by beliefs.
A different way of seeing, of thinking, of believing can create a whole new tradition and culture. Rome did not concede to the Christians based on their weapons or the power of their army. It was the Christian beliefs that created a new empire. Pick any icon. Barbie is a perfect subject for an inquiry into symbols.