1177 BC by Eric Cline

The Big Idea: The Late Bronze Age collapsed not because of a single invasion or disaster, but because the world’s first truly globalized civilization became so interconnected and specialized that simultaneous shocks caused a cascading systems failure.

Chapter 1: Of Arms and the Man (15th Century BC)

The First “Global” Economy
The Late Bronze Age, beginning around 1500 BC, was not a collection of isolated kingdoms but an interconnected international economy linking Egyptians, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hittites, and Babylonians. Essential raw materials, especially tin and copper for bronze, were shipped across vast distances, creating deep economic interdependence.

Diplomatic “Brotherhood”
Rulers of the Great Powers referred to one another as “brother” in formal correspondence, signaling an elite diplomatic order. Stability was maintained through treaties, gift exchanges, and royal intermarriage, not constant warfare.

The Minoan Precedent
The sudden collapse of the Minoan civilization (likely triggered by the Thera eruption and followed by Mycenaean dominance) served as an early warning. Even wealthy, advanced, culturally dominant societies could fall rapidly due to environmental and geopolitical shocks.

Chapter 2: Act II — An Incident at the Scene (14th Century BC)

The Amarna Letters and Bureaucratic Complexity
Clay tablets discovered in Egypt reveal a dense web of bureaucratic correspondence among kings. These letters document trade disputes, pleas for gold, and diplomatic friction, evidence of an elaborate international governance system managing peace and commerce.

The Uluburun Shipwreck
This shipwreck is the clearest proof of Bronze Age globalization. Its cargo (tin, copper, glass, ivory, ebony, and luxury goods from at least seven cultures) shows that a single ship could carry the economic lifeblood of multiple empires.

Gift Economy vs. Merchant Reality
While kings framed exchanges as diplomatic “gifts,” independent merchants quietly sustained the system. These non-elite actors enabled specialization and large-scale production, operating beneath the royal narrative.

Chapter 3: Act III — The End of an Era (13th Century BC)

The Battle of Kadesh
The massive clash between Ramesses II and the Hittites is famous, but the peace treaty that followed matters more. It marked the high point of Late Bronze Age cooperation, both powers recognized that endless war was economically unsustainable.

Economic Warfare and Embargoes
The Hittites attempted to weaken Assyria through trade embargoes, demonstrating an early understanding of economic warfare. Interdependence could be weaponized as easily as it could generate prosperity.

Early Tremors Beneath Stability
Despite apparent order, stress fractures appeared: earthquakes in the Aegean, localized droughts, and strained supply chains. The system looked stable but had become increasingly brittle.

Chapter 4: Act IV — The End of an Empire (12th Century BC)

The Sea Peoples as a Symptom, Not a Cause
Long blamed as the destroyers of civilization, the Sea Peoples were likely displaced populations fleeing famine and instability. Their raids reflect survival-driven migration more than coordinated conquest.

The Domino Effect
Key commercial hubs like Ugarit and Hattusa were destroyed in quick succession. Because these cities were supply-chain nodes, their fall triggered shortages elsewhere, cascading across the entire system.

Collapse of the Tin Trade
Bronze production depended on tin sourced from distant regions such as Afghanistan. When trade routes failed, weapons and tools could no longer be produced, crippling military power and central authority.

Chapter 5: A “Perfect Storm” of Calamities?

Systems Collapse, Not Single Cause
Cline rejects monocausal explanations. The Late Bronze Age collapsed because it was a highly specialized, tightly coupled system that had lost redundancy and resilience.

The Multiplier Effect of Concurrent Shocks
Climate-driven megadroughts, earthquakes, famine, rebellion, and mass migration occurred simultaneously. Any one stress might have been survivable; together, they overwhelmed palace administrations.

Decentralization and Renewal
The resulting “Dark Age” was devastating, but it cleared space for more flexible societies. Iron replaced bronze, trade decentralized, and new cultures (Phoenicians, Israelites, Greeks) emerged.