The Ancients The Sea Peoples
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Aug 28, 2025 Tristan Hughes talks to Professor Eric Cline, a leading expert on the Bronze Age Collapse and the Sea Peoples. They unpack ancient Egyptian records to identify these mysterious invaders and challenge the notion that they solely caused the Bronze Age collapse. Discoveries from recent archaeological sites like Tel Dor reveal diverse motivations behind their migrations. The conversation also highlights the interplay of cultures during this tumultuous time, showing how the Sea Peoples were part of a larger narrative of societal change.
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Speed Of The Bronze Age Collapse
- Around 1200 BC the interconnected Late Bronze Age world collapsed within decades across the eastern Mediterranean.
- Eric Cline frames this as a rapid unraveling of a long-standing trade and diplomatic network centered on the 'G8' powers.
Sparse And Uneven Evidence
- Evidence for the Sea Peoples is limited to Egyptian inscriptions, a few other texts, and archaeology; that's not enough for definitive answers.
- Cline warns we lack the usual three independent lines of evidence needed to be certain about their origins or actions.
Key Egyptian Records
- Major Egyptian sources are Merneptah's fifth-year inscriptions (c.1207 BC) and Ramses III's eighth-year records (c.1177 BC).
- Cline explains these two inscriptions show at least two distinct waves involving named groups later labelled collectively as the Sea Peoples.
