Yes, and the Aztecs and the Egyptians, and the Mesopotamians, etcetera
What about the Mongols? They started expanding in the 12th century.
On an evolutionary scale, that's very late. It even comes after the greco-roman and judeo-christian imperial efforts, and much later than the Mesopotamian and Egyptian empires.
That doesn't change the debate.
It's a simple fact that the imperial constitution of man is neither universal, nor inherently natural, nor that it has been here since times immemorial.
No, imperialism is a very recent, highly specific, and rather idiosyncratic series of historic events.