This episode of The Ancients is sponsored by The Economist. The Economist provides access to

in-depth expert analysis of world events and topics ranging from business and culture to science

and technology. It's independent journalism for independent thinking with reports from

correspondence on the ground across the world.

Just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about,

something that caught my eye this week is a recent article about how important and central horses have been

in moulding empires throughout human history.

Given my great interest in the Great Step

and the ancient peoples who lived there

and became the first great masters of the horse Step and the ancient peoples who lived there and became the first

great masters of the horse, this fascinated me. The Ancients listeners can get a one-month free

trial now by visiting Economist.com slash ancients. You'll receive the weekly digital edition

plus online-only articles, narrated stories, podcasts, curated

newsletters and subscriber-only events. Go to Economist.com slash ancients to sign up. Two thousand years ago, at the same time that great cities like Rome, Athens and Alexandria

were at their height in the Mediterranean, thousands of miles to the west across the

Atlantic Ocean, equally large and thriving cities

were being constructed in the ancient Amazon,

epicenters of extraordinary, little-known civilizations

who moulded the world's largest rainforest to thrive in their millions.

Today, we often see the Amazon Basin as an endless expanse of trees and rainforest, but this

massive area of South America, spanning eight countries, was home to a huge range of landscapes,

biodiversity and ancient civilizations.

...