Forces of Destruction: The Collapse of the Mediterranean Bronze Age
Open Access
Author:
Burlingame, Katherine Anne
Area of Honors:
Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Mark Munn, Thesis Supervisor Mark Munn, Thesis Supervisor Mary Lou Zimmerman Munn, Thesis Honors Advisor Catherine Wanner, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Collapse Mediterranean Bronze Age
Abstract:
There has long been debate over the causes of the destructions that occurred across the Mediterranean at the end of the Late Bronze Age (1250-1050 BCE). Scholars have grappled with numerous theories as to the forces behind the fall of the great empires found in Greece, Anatolia, and Egypt. Key contributing factors to each collapse can be surmised by analyzing environmental factors such as climate, earthquakes, and geography; scholars can also interpret the physical evidence left behind. It is, however, difficult to piece together that which developed out of human agency such as political, social, and economic factors. By utilizing all known information and drawing conclusions regarding the unknown, this thesis discusses the various forces of destruction which led to the collapse of the Bronze Age including catastrophic earthquakes, revolts, total systems disintegration, and mass migrations. Though we may never know just what led to the collapse of some of the most powerful empires in the ancient Mediterranean world, this thesis offers new insights and organizes what we now know regarding the destructive end of the Bronze Age.