School of War Ep 258: Eric Cline on the Collapse of Civilizations
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Dec 19, 2025 Eric Cline, a professor at George Washington University and author specializing in the collapse of ancient civilizations, dives into the fascinating collapse of the Bronze Age. He discusses the critical role of tin in trade, the interconnectedness of ancient societies, and the intriguing mystery of the Sea Peoples. Cline also explores the multi-causal factors behind the collapse and draws parallels to modern global networks. Plus, he offers practical lessons for resilience from ancient history that are applicable today.
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Writing For Both Grandma And Colleagues
- Eric H Cline aimed to write books accessible to both intelligent lay readers and scholars, blending storytelling with deep scholarship.
- He wanted his wife's grandmother and his academic colleagues to both find value in the work.
Why Bronze, Iron And Stone Matter
- The Three-Age system groups prehistory by dominant materials and still guides chronology for regions like the Near East and Mediterranean.
- Bronze relied on tin plus copper and shifted to iron around 1200 BC for reasons scholars still debate.
Starbucks As A Future Temple
- Cline jokes that future archaeologists might misread Starbucks and McDonald's as houses of worship.
- He warns that digital ephemera could make our era look illiterate to distant future scholars.