Why Web3 Needs Archaeologists To Survive

Duration: NaN:NaN:NaN

Speaker: Sara Polak

Type: Talk

Expertise: No prior knowledge

Event: Devcon

Date: Nov 2026

Web3 is often framed as a technological revolution, but it is equally a civilisation experiment. DAOs, network states, decentralised identity and governance all tackle ancient human challenges: how strangers build trust, coordinate, and create institutions that endure. At the LIMINAL Research Centre, we combine archaeology, anthropology and AI to study these questions across the past, present and future. This talk explores what ancient societies, DAO failures and network states reveal about resilient communities, why shared narratives matter as much as shared code, and how ideas such as the Campfire Protocol can strengthen trust through verified communication and identity. You’ll leave with practical principles for designing Web3 ecosystems that are not only technically robust, but socially resilient and built to last beyond market cycles.