Angela
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I'm in the middle of reading a history of the collapse of the Bronze Age Societies, and I thought some of you might be interested in it.
It's called "1177 B.C. The Year that Civilization Collapsed" and it's by Eric H. Cline.
This is the blurb...
"In this major new account of the causes of this "First Dark Ages," Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by multiple interconnected failures, ranging from invasion and revolt to earthquakes, drought, and the cutting of international trade routes. Bringing to life the vibrant multicultural world of these great civilizations, he draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and globalized peoples of the Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse and ushered in a dark age that lasted centuries."
And, "In the space of virtually no time, the mighty Hittite empire was destroyed, leaving nothing but a bare memory in some biblical references. Mycenaea was likewise completely destroyed, as were other empires and kingdoms of the epoch, e.g., Babylonia, Minoa, the Ugarit Kingdom, and Assyria, many of which disappeared so completely that they did not leave a memory behind, until their massive constructions were unearthed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Similarly, the Canaanite civilization disappeared to be recovered under the new management of the Hebrews and Philistines. Egypt survived in a much reduced form after fighting off the onslaughts of Sea Peoples, but in weaker and much reduced form."
One of the reviews on Amazon is actually excellent and very scholarly, and the poster, while praising the book, took exception to the proposition that it was multiple factors that brought about the demise of many of these civilizations, and he particularly critiqued the idea that the unavailability of tin for the production of bronze (because the Sea Peoples cut the trade routes) was such an important factor in the collapse of these cultures, and questioned whether it was indeed unavailable. Unusually, the author responded.
The review and response can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1IEOACDV4BYVJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0691140898#wasThisHelpful
It's called "1177 B.C. The Year that Civilization Collapsed" and it's by Eric H. Cline.
This is the blurb...
"In this major new account of the causes of this "First Dark Ages," Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by multiple interconnected failures, ranging from invasion and revolt to earthquakes, drought, and the cutting of international trade routes. Bringing to life the vibrant multicultural world of these great civilizations, he draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and globalized peoples of the Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse and ushered in a dark age that lasted centuries."
And, "In the space of virtually no time, the mighty Hittite empire was destroyed, leaving nothing but a bare memory in some biblical references. Mycenaea was likewise completely destroyed, as were other empires and kingdoms of the epoch, e.g., Babylonia, Minoa, the Ugarit Kingdom, and Assyria, many of which disappeared so completely that they did not leave a memory behind, until their massive constructions were unearthed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Similarly, the Canaanite civilization disappeared to be recovered under the new management of the Hebrews and Philistines. Egypt survived in a much reduced form after fighting off the onslaughts of Sea Peoples, but in weaker and much reduced form."
One of the reviews on Amazon is actually excellent and very scholarly, and the poster, while praising the book, took exception to the proposition that it was multiple factors that brought about the demise of many of these civilizations, and he particularly critiqued the idea that the unavailability of tin for the production of bronze (because the Sea Peoples cut the trade routes) was such an important factor in the collapse of these cultures, and questioned whether it was indeed unavailable. Unusually, the author responded.
The review and response can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1IEOACDV4BYVJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0691140898#wasThisHelpful