How Empire Was Discovered Everywhere at Once - Part One, Dr. Luke Kemp, DemystifySci +441 episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 18, 2026 · 1H 18M

How Empire Was Discovered Everywhere at Once - Part One, Dr. Luke Kemp, DemystifySci +441

from The DemystifySci Podcast · host DemystifySci

Today we give you an episode in two parts from a recent conversation with Luke Kemp from Cambridge University's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. We discuss the sudden and simultaneous rise of the nation state all over the globe as humanity emerged from the paleolithic. Prior to the bronze age of empires, humanity used kept the concentration of societal power in check by relying on ridicule, ostracism, and expulsion to stop anyone from turning strength into lasting power. Then something changed irrevocably. Suddenly domination became possible: lootable, storable crops like wheat, monopolizable weapons, and nowhere left to run, brought conditions closer to a protection racket than to progress. We are picking up the pieces today, which is where we turn to in part two.Part Two: https://youtu.be/rJCWyUlnhB0PATREON https://www.patreon.com/c/demystifysciPARADOX LOST PRE-SALE: https://buy.stripe.com/7sY7sKdoN5d29eUdYddEs0bHOMEBREW MUSIC - Check out our new album!Hard Copies (Vinyl): FREE SHIPPING https://demystifysci-shop.fourthwall.com/products/vinyl-lp-secretary-of-nature-everything-is-so-good-hereStreaming:https://secretaryofnature.bandcamp.com/album/everything-is-so-good-herePARADIGM DRIFThttps://demystifysci.com/paradigm-drift-show00:00 Go! Why Humans Ever Built States02:23 What a Goliath Actually Is06:28 Were Early Humans Really Violent?16:17 Did Cooperation or Violence Make Us?22:56 Cities That Had No Kings28:15 Why Farming Didn't Create States33:09 How Often Hierarchy Failed36:34 What It Takes to Build a Goliath45:38 How Empire's Blueprint Spread54:08 Where Patriarchy Came From59:17 How War Remade the Gods1:09:43 Why the Biggest Systems Win1:15:13 Was Any of This Inevitable?#archaeology #anthropology #prehistoryMERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci-shop.fourthwall.com/AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98DONATE: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaDSUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@UCqV4_7i9h1_V7hY48eZZSLw@demystifysci RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rssMAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySciMUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

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How Empire Was Discovered Everywhere at Once - Part One, Dr. Luke Kemp, DemystifySci +441

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