Throughout our history, most civilizations have either met a slow demise or were wiped out by sudden natural disasters or invasion, but there are a few societies whose disappearance has scholars truly stumped. A research team may have finally located the lost city of Atlantis, the legendary metropolis believed swamped by a tsunami thousands of years ago in mud flats in southern Spain (and more). A review of The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson (and more). A review of The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Troy to Augustine by Simon Price and Peter Thonemann. Is fear the father of us all? If a specter haunts the chancellories of America, it isn’t communism and it isn’t Karl Marx — it’s Thucydides. A review of The Breakdown of the Roman Republic: From Oligarchy to Empire by Christopher S. Mackay. Good news from the ancients: They may have been more tolerant toward groups of "others" than they've been given credit for — can we learn from them? Oxford don Robin Lane Fox focuses on how the cultural and philosophical changes that occurred in late antiquity are essential to our understanding of world views today. Avshalom Madhala Adam (ColMan): Enlightenment. Heinrich August Winkler (Humboldt): Greatness and Limits of the West: The History of an Unfinished Project. A review of In Search of Civilization by John Armstrong. A review of Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson (and more and and more and more and more and more and more). Is China really a threat to us? Dambisa Moyo and Niall Ferguson debate (and more). A panel on The Next Decade: Where We've Been and Where We're Going by George Friedman. Have we finally reached the "end of history"? Michio Kaku on the next stage of human civilization. An interview with David Eagleman, author of Incognito: The Brains Behind the Mind, on how the Internet makes our civilization more resilient than previous ones. A review of Deep Future: The Next 100,000 Years of Life on Earth by Curt Stager. Honestly, we don't need to move under the sea, but it sure would give civilization a proper reboot. Apocalypse then and now: Lorenzo DiTommaso studies ancient and modern signs. A look at 5 sci-fi apocalypses the government is actually planning for. Even dystopias have their perks: A look at 19 redeeming qualities for hellish futures.
