#446 – Ed Barnhart: Maya, Aztec, Inca, and Lost Civilizations of South America

Lex Fridman Podcast

Ed Barnhart is an archaeologist and explorer specializing in ancient civilizations of the Americas. He is the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, host of the ArchaeoEd Podcast, and lecturer on the ancient history of North, Central, and South America. Ed is in part known for his groundbreaking work on ancient astronomy, mathematics, and calendar systems.
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Transcript:
https://lexfridman.com/ed-barnhart-transcript

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EPISODE LINKS:
Ed’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@archaeoedpodcast
Ed’s Website: https://archaeoed.com/
Maya Exploration Center: https://mayaexploration.org
Ed’s Lectures on The Great Courses: https://thegreatcoursesplus.com/edwin-barnhart
Ed’s Lectures on Audible: https://adbl.co/4dBavTZ
2025 Mayan Calendar: https://mayan-calendar.com/

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OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(08:59) – Lost civilizations
(16:04) – Hunter-gatherers
(19:36) – First humans in the Americas
(29:28) – South America
(34:57) – Pyramids
(42:01) – Religion
(55:05) – Shamanism
(57:02) – Ayahuasca
(1:03:15) – Lost City of Z
(1:08:09) – Graham Hancock
(1:15:11) – Uncontacted tribes
(1:21:12) – Maya civilization
(1:37:00) – Mayan calendar
(1:52:17) – Flood myths
(2:20:46) – Aztecs
(2:38:12) – Inca Empire
(2:56:13) – Early humans in North America
(3:02:10) – Columbus
(3:06:46) – Vikings
(3:10:55) – Aliens
(3:15:23) – Earth in 10,000 years
(3:31:33) – Hope for the future

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