Sometimes you want to learn stuff without working too hard.  The Youtube channel, Fall of Civilizations is smart and engaging.

A historian goes deep into civilizations that thrived, then vanished or collapsed.  The production values are very good, but be mindful that the Youtube channel has an audio-only podcast version for each topic.  Later on, a video version was done which is more interesting.

The content is solid.  The historian explains that we never know for certain what happened to a civilization, but goes into the existing artifacts, writing and science to present the dominant theories.  I learned stuff.

Easter Island is fascinating, so that’s a good episode to start on.

I also like the episode about how Vikings from Norway went to Iceland, then to Greenland, and made occasional visits to Canada about a thousand years ago.

What I’ve learned so far is that a weak or unreliable colony can be lost to a big disruption like a change in climate or pandemic.  Competing armies will take advantage of a bad situation.

The Youtube channel has a playlist that goes through the videos in chronological order, rather than episode order.  I will eventually watch that playlist to get really smart.