What can ancient civilisations teach us about sustainability?

A cosmology or worldview is the framework of beliefs and attitudes through which we interpret and make sense of the world, including how we think about our relationship with the environment. What can the worldviews of successful civilisations of the past teach us about sustainable technological and economic advancement? Professor Shadreck Chirikure FBA explores how our current challenge of unsustainability can be transformed by learning from historical societies that balanced economic progress with stewardship for future generations. Speaker: Professor Shadreck Chirikure FBA This podcast is for informative and educational purposes. 10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms. The British Academy convenes research insights from across the disciplines we represent. The views expressed in our videos are those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of the British Academy. Find out more about the British Academy: For future events, visit our website:

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What can ancient civilisations teach us about sustainability? is an episode from 10-Minute Talks by The British Academy.

This episode is 8:03 long.

This episode was published on Nov 7, 2025.

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