Such are the squabbles that consume once-great civilizations at the end of history:

UK dismay as Greeks win feta cheese rights
The long-running legal fight over the rights to feta cheese was finally resolved on Tuesday when Europe’s top court ruled that it should be designated as a traditional Greek product and protected as such throughout the European Union.
The decision, which could have implications for other contested food products, came in the face of strong opposition from the UK, France, Denmark and Germany, all of which had argued that feta was a generic name for the salty, crumbly white cheese.
The Danish government, for example, had argued that until 1988, cheese made from cow’s milk by methods other than traditional Greek cheese-making techniques was imported into Greece and sold there as feta.
Others pointed out that the name feta actually derives from the Italian word fetta – or slice – which entered the Greek language only in the 17th century.
But on Tuesday, the European Court of Justice dismissed their arguments, saying that the fact that the product had been lawfully produced in other member states was “only one factor of several which must be taken into account”.
It noted that 85 per cent of the EU’s consumption of feta took place in Greece; that most Greek consumers thought the name had geographical connotations; and that, even outside Greece, the cheese was commonly marketed with labels referring to Greek cultural traditions. “Several relevant and important factors indicate that the term has not become generic,” the ECJ said. “The court upholds the name feta as a protected designation of origin for Greece.”
The decision was quickly criticized by some national politicians and manufacturers, while lawyers suggested that it could set precedents for other controversial food products in the future.
Edward McMillan-Scott, a British Conservative member of the European parliament, said the feta ruling would unjustifiably penalise cheesemakers in several EU countries, including the UK, and confuse consumers.