Toby Wilkinson is one of the world's leading Egyptologists, whose books have ranged across the full sweep of pharaonic history. His latest, The Last Dynasty: Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra, covers the 300-year Ptolemaic period — stranger and more modern-feeling than the Egypt of the pyramids, built around commerce and cosmopolitanism rather than divine kingship, and home to the greatest concentration of scientific talent the ancient world ever saw.

Tyler and Toby cover how Alexander took over the empire almost without a fight, why Alexandria became the Manhattan of the ancient world, whether the era was as philosophically fertile as it was scientifically, whether your ancient doctor's visit had positive expected value, what Egypt was actually exporting and selling, whether living standards rose above subsistence or stayed Malthusian, how the ethnic divide between Greek rulers and Egyptian subjects shaped society, what constrained the Ptolemaic Empire from becoming the next Rome, whether Cleopatra has been overhyped, what Julius Caesar was really thinking when he sided with her over her brother, the new frontiers in archeology, whether Herodotus can be trusted, what ancient Egypt knew about Israel and India, when Egyptian jewelry peaked and why, what triggered the sudden emergence of civilization across the ancient world, why a six-year-old Tyler knew King Tut better than Napoleon, and much more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel.

Recorded March 23rd, 2026.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:04:29 - Intellectual Activity of Alexandria

00:11:07 - The Alexandrian Economy

00:14:36 - The Ptolemaic Empire

00:21:19 - Unanswered Questions in Ptolemaic Egypt

00:23:32 - Modern Alexandria and the Future of Archaeology

00:26:37 - Other Topics in Ancient Egypt

00:42:10 - Toby's Career

00:45:26 - Outro

Photo Credit: Benjamin Frei

Bob Spitz has written major biographies of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, and now the Rolling Stones — but also, somehow, Ronald Reagan and Julia Child. In rock, his credentials were hard won: he started out hustling gigs for an unknown Bruce Springsteen for six years, moved on to handling Elton John's American business, and spent long enough in the world to find himself jamming with Paul McCartney and chatting with Bob Dylan on a stoop in the Village. The Reagan and Julia Child books are harder to explain, and perhaps that's the point—Spitz seems to do his best work when he has no business writing the book at all.

Tyler and Bob discuss how the Stones became so great so quickly, what they added to the blues, how their melodies stack up against the Beatles', whether Exile on Main Street deserves its canonical status, which songs are most underrated, what Charlie Watts actually got out of playing in a rock band, the rise and fall of Brian Jones, how the Stones outlasted nearly everyone, the influence of Mick's London School of Economics training, why popular music has lost its cultural influence, what we should still be asking Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, whether the Beatles' breakup was good for the world, how senile Reagan really was in his second term and whether he was ever truly a communist, how good a cook Julia Child actually was, his next book on Lennon's second act, and much more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel.

Recorded April 28th, 2026.

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• Follow us on X and Instagram
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• Follow Bob on X
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• Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu
• Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:44 - The Sound of the Rolling Stones

00:05:25 - Underrated Rolling Stones Songs and Albums

00:09:06 - Charlie Watts and Brian Jones

00:11:18 - Art Colleges and Rock 'n' Roll

00:13:06 - The Stones' Stability

00:16:32 - Mick Jagger: Closet Economist?

00:17:53 - Pop Music's Lack of Relevance

00:20:10 - The Beatles

00:28:14 - Led Zeppelin

00:31:30 - Bruce Springsteen

00:36:20 - Bob Dylan

00:39:40 - Julia Child

00:42:29 - The Knicks

00:45:21 - Ronald Reagan

00:49:01 - Robert Caro

00:52:03 - Writing

00:55:00 - Outro

Craig Newmark's career, in retrospect, looks like a series of deliberate subtractions: he kept Craigslist plain, stepped aside as CEO early on, gave his equity to his foundation, and now funds people and gets out of their way. His theory, arrived at gradually, is that recognizing your limitations and relying on your network is how you get more done.

Tyler and Craig discuss why webpage design has gotten worse for 30 years, what Craig's "obsessive customer service disorder" taught him about human nature, why trusting people and maintaining a nine-second rule for scams aren't as contradictory as they sound, why roommate ads are a better way to find love, why Craigslist never added seller evaluations, why Leonard Cohen speaks to him more than Bob Dylan, what William Gibson's Neuromancer got right about the internet, why Jackson Lamb is now one of his role models, why large foundations lose accountability, what two painful Ivy League grants taught him philanthropy, what he gets from rescuing pigeons, the hard lesson he learned about confronting people who lie for a living, his favorite TV shows and movies, the one genuine luxury he can't go without, what he still needs to learn, and much more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel.

Recorded April 14th, 2026.

Other ways to connect

• Follow us on X and Instagram
• Follow Tyler on X
• Follow Craig on X
• Sign up for our newsletter
• Join our Discord
• Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu
• Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:41 - Stepping Aside as CEO
00:04:20 - Customer Service and Social Skills
00:16:27 - Restaurants
00:18:06 - Music
00:19:27 - Science Fiction
00:20:14 - TV Shows
00:26:03 - Philanthropy
00:30:20 - Journalism
00:31:55 - Pigeons
00:32:50 - Entrepreneurship
00:35:09 - Craig's Personal Philosophy
00:37:37 - Major Regrets
00:39:17 - Audience Q&A
00:46:23 - Outro