Lizzie Wade is the author of APOCALYPSE: How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures. She is a science writer focusing on archaeology and anthropology, a contributing correspondent for Science, and her work has also appeared in Wired, Archaeology, National Geographic, and Slate. Follow her work via The Antiquarian newsletter at theantiquarian.email
The conversation starts with how ancient Egypt, which was very hierarchical and funneled lots of resources to its ruling class, collapsed when a prolonged drought struck. Lizzie explains how the Mayan civilization still very much existed when it was first contacted by the Spanish, despite the centralized state dissolving centuries earlier. Lizzie ponders whether there are grand themes in the study of history, or if it’s just one damn thing after another. According to Lizzie, contemporary society is facing its own apocalypse, but there are options available to us to address it.
There are two great conferences taking place in Ontario in August 2026:
- World Humanist Congress August 7-9 in Ottawa https://www.worldhumanistcongress.org/
- BAHACON August 21-23 in Sarnia https://bahacon.com/
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During a discussion with David Graeber near/at a 'lost city' site, a Mesoamerican socialist guerilla/anarchist pointed at one of the pyramids and said that since they had defeated 'those guys', they weren't about to take crap from the contemporary governments imposed on them. Given that historians/archaeologists/anthropologists are usually from elite power groups, is it any wonder they can't see the periodic disintegration of hierarchies as anything but a Fall? Yes, hierarchy is a stable way to organize societies, but so is equality, although both require sacrifices of individual freedom. There is no middle ground, hence the tension!
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