Ancient Greece Declassified 02 Bronze Age Apocalypse 1177BC w/ Eric Cline
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Sep 24, 2016 Archaeologist Eric Cline discusses the mysterious collapse of major civilizations at the end of the second millennium BC, exploring the role of the Sea Peoples and comparing it to the fall of the Roman Empire. The perfectly preserved Uluburun Shipwreck provides insights into late Bronze Age trade. The collapse of the Mycenaean civilization is analyzed, considering the impact of the Santorini volcano eruption and possible causes such as the Sea Peoples, earthquakes, drought, and famine. Parallels are drawn between the late Bronze Age crises and present-day events like ISIS and the refugee crisis.
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1177 BC: Cataclysmic Civilization Collapse
- The collapse of civilizations around 1177 BC was as devastating as the fall of the Roman Empire 1500 years later.
- They lost writing, monumental building skills, and entered the world's first dark ages.
Tin was Bronze Age Oil
- Tin, mostly sourced from Afghanistan, was crucial for making bronze, the hardest metal available at the time.
- Losing access to tin was like losing oil today, severely threatening Bronze Age economies.
Interconnected Late Bronze Age World
- The Late Bronze Age world was highly interconnected across regions from Italy to Afghanistan and Egypt.
- Trade networks shared goods and ideas, resembling early globalization despite the era.