The Economic and Political History Podcast

The Collapse of the Late Bronze Age and its Aftermath | Eric H. Cline with Javier Mejia

Mar 16, 2024

In this insightful discussion, Eric H. Cline, a professor at George Washington University and an expert on ancient civilizations, dives into the collapse of Late Bronze Age societies. He explores the multifaceted causes of this historic event, from invasions to climate change. Cline highlights how resilience and adaptability shaped the fate of civilizations post-collapse, leading to the rise of new powers like the Phoenicians and Israelites. He also draws parallels to modern challenges, emphasizing the importance of sustainable practices for societal stability.

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ANECDOTE

Childhood Inspired Archaeology Career

Eric H. Cline decided to become an archaeologist at age seven after reading a book about Heinrich Schliemann and ancient Troy.
He still has the book and reflects on the coincidence that Schliemann also credits an early book for guiding his life's work.

INSIGHT

Modern Archaeology's Scientific Wave

Archaeology now uses advanced technology like remote sensing and ancient DNA to explore sites without excavation.
Modern archaeology blends traditional digging with scientific methods, expanding our understanding of the past.

INSIGHT

Collapse Was A Perfect Storm

The Late Bronze Age was a complex globalized network of interacting powers.
Its collapse was a domino effect caused by multiple simultaneous crises, not a single event.

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Interview with Eric H. Cline, author of '1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed' and 'After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations' At the end of the acclaimed history 1177 B.C., many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean lay in ruins, undone by invasion, revolt, natural disasters, famine, and the demise of international trade. An interconnected world that had boasted major empires and societies, relative peace, robust commerce, and monumental architecture was lost and the so-called First Dark Age had begun. Now, in After 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the compelling story of what happened next, over four centuries, across the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean world. It is a story of resilience, transformation, and success, as well as failures, in an age of chaos and reconfiguration.
After 1177 B.C. tells how the collapse of powerful Late Bronze Age civilizations created new circumstances to which people and societies had to adapt. Those that failed to adjust disappeared from the world stage, while others transformed themselves, resulting in a new world order that included Phoenicians, Philistines, Israelites, Neo-Hittites, Neo-Assyrians, and Neo-Babylonians. Taking the story up to the resurgence of Greece marked by the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C., the book also describes how world-changing innovations such as the use of iron and the alphabet emerged amid the chaos.

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Javier Mejia is an economist at Stanford University who specializes in the intersection of social networks and economic history. His research interests also include entrepreneurship and political economy, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. Mejia has previously been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University-Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is also a frequent contributor to various news outlets, currently serving as an op-ed columnist for Forbes Magazine.