In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded
Egypt. The pharaoh's army and navy managed to defeat them, but the
victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of
the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the
civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end.
Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No
more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians.
The thriving economy and cultures of the late second millennium B.C.,
which had stretched from Greece to Egypt and Mesopotamia, suddenly
ceased to exist, along with writing systems, technology, and monumental
architecture. But the Sea Peoples alone could not have caused such
widespread breakdown. How did it happen?
In this major new account of the causes of this "First Dark Age," Eric
Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by
multiple interconnected failures, ranging from invasion and revolt to
earthquakes, drought, and the cutting of international trade routes.
Bringing to life the vibrant multicultural world of these great
civilizations, he draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and
globalized peoples of the Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their
very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse and ushered
in a dark age that lasted centuries.
A compelling combination of narrative and the latest scholarship, 1177
B.C. sheds new light on the complex ties that gave rise to, and
ultimately destroyed, the flourishing civilizations of the Late Bronze
Age--and that set the stage for the emergence of classical Greece.
