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Human Prehistory and How Societies Rise and Fall—With Patrick Wyman

Historian Patrick Wyman returns to the show to talk about the deep history of human societies and how they can inform the current moment. 

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

June 17, 2026

Visitors pass by wax figures representing Cro-Magnon humans, the early Homo sapiens sapiens such as those who painted in the Lascaux caves.(Jean-Pierre Muller / AFP via Getty Images)

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Human Prehistory and How Societies Rise and Fall w/ Patrick Wyman / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Historian Patrick Wyman returns to the show to talk about the deep history of human societies and how they can inform the current moment. They explore new ways of studying prehistory, the origins of agriculture, climate adaptation, the Clovis people, the long Neolithic, early farming societies, states and security, the Bronze Age collapse, and more.

Listen to Patrick’sPast Livespodcast. 

And grab a copy of his new bookLost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World.

Don’t forget the AP livestream, this Wednesday at 8pm ET on ⁠our YouTube channel⁠.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Historian Patrick Wyman returns to the show to talk about the deep history of human societies and how they can inform the current moment. They explore new ways of studying prehistory, the origins of agriculture, climate adaptation, the Clovis people, the long Neolithic, early farming societies, states and security, the Bronze Age collapse, and more.

Listen to Patrick’s Past Lives podcast.

And grab a copy of his new book, Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World.

Don’t forget the AP livestream, this Wednesday at 8 pm ET on our YouTube channel.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.

The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

The Biden Administration’s Complicity in Gaza w/ Akbar Shahid Ahmed / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek welcome back Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Sun and author of Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War on Gaza, to talk about the Biden administration’s role in enabling the genocide in Gaza. They discuss the conditions in the Strip as of the current day; Biden’s small inner circle of Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, and Brett McGurk; Jack Lew’s role of ambassador and the dubious war crime review process he implemented; the Rafah red line and its immediate collapse after Israel invaded; and the Democratic Party’s domestic political miscalculations heading into 2024 and 2028.  

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Daniel BessnerTwitterDaniel Bessner is a historian of US foreign relations and is the author of, among other books, Imperialist Realism.


Derek DavisonDerek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.


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