The Fifth Column Members Only #278 -- Goliath’s Curse Author Luke Kemp on Why (and When) Empires Collapse
Sep 29, 2025
Luke Kemp, an author and researcher focused on societal collapse, dives into the intriguing dynamics of empires and their downfall. He explores the sudden rise and fall of Cahokia, highlighting its mounds and rapid disappearance. Kemp reveals how human sacrifice served as a tool for elite power, and discusses how agricultural practices contributed to societal formations. He challenges popular notions of pre-state violence, showcasing evidence that suggests it peaked during state emergence and collapse. Kemp advocates for the health advantages of hunter-gatherer lifestyles over settled agriculture.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Cahokia’s Lost City
- Cahokia was a large pre-Columbian city with earthen pyramids and an elite ruling class.
- Luke Kemp describes mass human sacrifices and elite burials beneath the pyramids at Cahokia.
Sacrifice Signals State Power
- Human sacrifice correlates with hierarchical state formation and rarely reverses to egalitarian systems.
- Kemp argues sacrifice demonstrates elite monopoly on sanctioned violence and cements social hierarchy.
Lootable Crops Enable States
- Only certain crops create durable, visible, storable surpluses that enable state formation.
- Kemp highlights wheat, rice, and maize as 'lootable' resources that make extraction and centralized rule practical.
