So do all manner of cultural warnings, from the hubris around which Greek tragedies are built to the lamentation of King David's preacher: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity…the Earth abideth for ever…and there is no new thing under the sun".
Placing "innovation and risk-taking" firmly at the centre of the Government's funding strategy, Sir Brian advised that at least two artists should sit on the board of every cultural organisation, warning: "The move in recent years towards boards encompassing a variety of skills has in some places been at the expense of artistic expression".
Lay member Jane Patterson urged the Synod not to "bow to cultural pressure", warning more priests would defect to the Roman Catholic Church if the law were passed.
Mer Khamis urged his acting students to wage a cultural intifada, warning that the occupation of the mind was more dangerous than the occupation of the body.
As with insects, control of plant diseases and nematodes covers a broad spectrum of measures: use of chemicals, resistant varieties, quarantine, forecasting and warning, cultural practices, heat treatment, and others.
But now cultural leaders are warning that this period of huge success could come to an abrupt end as a "perfect storm" ravages Britain's artistic and creative life.
After the ruling Russian cultural officials began warning Russia's state-controlled museums that any artwork lent to the United States was at risk of being seized by the American authorities to force Russia to abide by the decision, causing loans to begin to dry up.
West's proposal extravaganza at AT&T Park in San Francisco was the pop cultural equivalent of a warning shot fired by the police that means, "Come out with your hands up".
Despite an old cultural "beware of sun" warning and higher skin phototypes, a much more intense UV radiation is found in southern People's Republic of China and an early onset of cutaneous alterations.
I now see the image on the rock not as a cultural relic but as a warning call.
