How Civilizations Die - with Paul Cooper
6/5/202641 min
As Governor of Britannia, Magnus Maximus has a huge army at his disposal, which is just what he needs to secure the Roman imperial throne. But perhaps the impressive general should have looked into the past before focusing on his future. Tim is joined by Paul Cooper, host of Fall of Civilizations Podcast, to explore why powerful civilizations such as the Assyrians, the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire all ultimately collapsed.
Paul Cooper is the author of Fall of Civilizations: Stories of Greatness and Decline. For a full list of show notes, see timharford.com
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Tim Harford· Host0:19
[ on-hold music] Pushkin. [gong] Britannia, the farthest, bleakest province of the Roman Empire, 390 CE. A harsh, misty land of savages and strange mystics. 40,000 soldiers, about an eighth of the imperial army, are needed to control the unruly native tribes, protect the archipelago from pirates, and push any marauders back over Hadrian's Wall and into Scotland. Such a mighty army needs a tremendous leader, and they have one in the shape of Magnus Maximus. [dramatic music] Maximus is a distinguished general. As a younger man, he helped restore order after the Picts from Scotland, the Scotti from