Ian Morris is the Jean and Rebecca Willard Professor of Classics and a Fellow of the Archaeology Center at Stanford University. We talked about the rise of the Greek city-state; East-West divergences, ancient and modern; and how to understand global history. Along the way we touch on aliens, the super-tall Chinese Muslim eunuch Admiral Zheng He, why burials are so interesting, the concept of Western Civilization, and how to get from Iron Maiden to Iron Age Greece.

Burial and Ancient Society: https://books.google.co.nz/books/abou...

Why the West Rules - For Now: https://www.amazon.com/Why-West-Rules... Geography is Destiny: https://www.bookdepository.com/Geogra...

Diamond - Guns, Germs and Steel: https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Ste... Scheidel, Escape from Rome: https://press.princeton.edu/books/har...

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