University:
Tyler Junior College
Course:
HIST 1301 | History
Academic year:

2024
Views:

238

Pages:

2
Author:

Dave D.

MEDITERRANEAN PEOPLES HIST 1301 | History The Collapse of the Bronze Age World The Late Bronze Age, roughly from 1200 BCE onward, was a turbulent time in ancient history marked by widespread violence, social upheaval, and the fall of major nations. During this turbulent period marked by conflicts and incursions, several civilizations, notably the powerful Mycenaean Greece, saw their abrupt collapse. The region was thrown into disarray by the demolition of the Mycenaean palaces, which is sometimes linked to a combination of events including earthquakes, rebellions by the lower classes, and climatic disasters like climate change. Over the next several decades, Greece experienced a sharp drop in population along with the loss of writing and literacy, ushering in a period that historians eventually termed the "Dark Age." The travels of many peoples changed the geopolitical terrain of the Mediterranean and its surroundings against this unstable backdrop. Greek chronicles from antiquity describe the Dorians' movement from northwest Greece to the south after the Trojan War, which had a role in the region's demographic changes. Meanwhile, mysterious peoples known as the "Sea Peoples" were wreaking devastation throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, overthrowing established powers like the Hittite Empire and Levantine kingdoms. The Philistines, known as the Peleset in Egyptian texts, were one of these Sea Peoples that became powerful and finally settled on the southern shore of the Levant. The chaos of the Late Bronze Age was not limited to the Levant and Aegean. The collapse of the New Kingdom era was sped up by Libyan invasions into the northern Nile River valley, which upset Egypt's central rulers' stability. The era's geopolitical instability was further exacerbated by the Phrygians' migration from the Balkans into Asia Minor and the Aramaean nomadic tribes' migration from the Arabian Desert into Syria and Mesopotamia. Amidst the mayhem of war and relocation, advanced iron-making processes were giving rise to a technological revolution. Tin is an essential ingredient in the manufacturing of bronze, but getting access to it has become more difficult due to the disturbances produced by the Late Bronze Age Collapse. The Iron Age began when metalworkers and artists focused on iron ore due to this shortage. Through decades of trial and error, they improved methods like tempering, quenching, and steeling, producing iron alloys that are far stronger than bronze. The Iron Age had established itself in the eastern Mediterranean by 900 BCE, which was a turning point in the development of human technology. In summary, the Late Bronze Age Collapse, which was marked by a convergence of conflicts, migrations, and technical advancements that altered the ancient world, is considered a turning point in human history. As new cultures and technologies sprang from the rubble of destroyed empires, the Bronze Age gave way to the Iron Age, which set the stage for the civilizations that would come after.