4,620
edits
Late Bronze Age Collapse: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
(expanding article) |
No edit summary |
||
| (6 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
'''Bronze Age Collapse | '''Late Bronze Age Collapse''' or '''Bronze Age Collapse''' | ||
[[World History]] | * approx 1200-1050 BC | ||
* referred to as the "Late Bronze Age collapse" because the events happened "late" in the Bronze Age period | |||
* this article will refer to it as the "BAC" (for "Bronze Age Collapse") | |||
[[category:World History]] | |||
== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
[[File:Bronze Age End.svg|thumb|Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the collapse of the Bronze Age, beginning c. 1200 BC.]] | |||
* a period of social, economic and political disruption, warfare, famine & illiteracy | * a period of social, economic and political disruption, warfare, famine & illiteracy | ||
* marked by collapse of major state powers, including New Kingdom Egypt, Hittites, Kassites (Babylonia), Mycaenean kingdoms | * marked by collapse of major state powers, including New Kingdom Egypt, Hittites, Kassites (Babylonia), Mycaenean kingdoms | ||
| Line 36: | Line 39: | ||
=== Climate change & drought === | === Climate change & drought === | ||
=== Metallurgy technologies === | * drought and cooling conditions may have prevailed throughout the period | ||
** the Middle Bronze Age Cold Epoch lasted from 1800-1500 BC | |||
*** likely made more severe by major volcanic eruptions, including Thera in Greece (1620 BC) | |||
**** which largely contributed to the collapse of the Minoans, Middle Kingdom Egypt, | |||
** a period of general warming followed, 1500-800, which would have led to increases in population and trade | |||
** however, this warming was interrupted during the BAC period | |||
*** evidence of drought: | |||
**** reduced tree cover (forests) in Mediterranean region | |||
**** reduced Nile River flow | |||
**** level of the Dead Sea dropped by up to 150 ft | |||
* the Hekla 3 volcanic eruption in Iceland accelerated the cooling and/or caused a period of cooling and dryness | |||
** dated at 1021, 1135 or 1159 BC | |||
** drought & famines recorded in Egypt in 1159 BC may mark the eruption | |||
** one of the most powerful eruptions since the end of the Ice Age | |||
** it cast ash across the atmosphere, blocking or partially blocking sunlight across the Northern hemisphere for possibly up to four years | |||
*** such volcano-caused climatic events are called "volcanic winters" | |||
** regardless, the BAC had started before the eruption | |||
* impacts of droughts & cooling: | |||
** reduced growing season | |||
*** soil depletion | |||
*** longer winters | |||
** crop failure leads to | |||
*** famine | |||
*** trade decline | |||
*** social unrest | |||
** changes in vegetation and/or forest cover impact animals and herding | |||
** migration | |||
*** causes competition over land | |||
*** puts pressure on food supplies | |||
*** fighting, raiding, unrest | |||
** political instability | |||
*** in larger ancient societies, the legitimacy of central rule is derived from divine authority (of the gods) | |||
*** therefore, if there are problems, the rulers are seen as having lost the favor of the gods and thus their authority | |||
=== Metallurgy technologies (cast bronze & iron-making) === | |||
[[File:Metal production in Ancient Middle East.svg|thumb|Mining areas of the ancient Middle East. Boxes colors: arsenic is in brown, copper in red, tin in grey, iron in reddish brown, gold in yellow, silver in white and lead in black. Yellow area stands for arsenic bronze, while grey area stands for tin bronze]] | |||
* metallurgy = working with metals to make tools, weapons, etc. | * metallurgy = working with metals to make tools, weapons, etc. | ||
** metallurgy requires access to ores, wood for high-heat to melt them, and techniques to mix metals in order to re-form them into useful weapons and tools | ** metallurgy requires access to ores, wood for high-heat to melt them, and techniques to mix metals in order to re-form them into useful weapons and tools | ||
| Line 50: | Line 88: | ||
** "cast" metal is pouring molten metal into a mold or die | ** "cast" metal is pouring molten metal into a mold or die | ||
*** cast metal, whether iron or bronze is easier and cheaper to make and replicate | *** cast metal, whether iron or bronze is easier and cheaper to make and replicate | ||
* '''iron-making''' | * '''iron-making''' | ||
** iron-making started in central Europe and spread into the Middle East | ** iron-making started in central Europe and spread into the Middle East | ||
*** the Hittites adopted iron-making | *** the Hittites adopted iron-making around 1500 BC | ||
** iron ore is plentiful and widespread | **** see [https://periclespress.net/Hittites_iron.html Iron- The secret weapon (periclespress.net)] | ||
*** iron ore is plentiful and widespread | |||
*** unlike bronze, iron can be made with locally-found ingredients | *** unlike bronze, iron can be made with locally-found ingredients | ||
*** therefore iron-making does not require access to trade networks | **** therefore iron-making does not require access to trade networks | ||
** iron is | *** iron is easier to work than bronze and thereby more easily replicated | ||
*** therefore, iron weapons were more plentiful | **** therefore, iron weapons were more plentiful | ||
*** and lower-classes had access to them | **** and lower-classes had access to them | ||
** early iron-making used "wrought" iron | |||
*** "wrought" = "worked" or hammered and shaped | |||
*** tin and bronze melt at lower temperatures than iron ore (tin has relatively low melting point) | |||
*** however, iron becomes "workable" below its melting point | |||
*** casting iron was developed much later (possibly 400s in India and China) | |||
** into the late Bronze Age, Hittite and other iron workers discovered how to add carbon to iron without making it too brittle | |||
*** the advantage that it required lower heat to be workable | |||
* into the BOC, iron-working became important since copper and tin trade routes were disrupted | |||
=== Military techniques === | === Military techniques === | ||
| Line 67: | Line 113: | ||
** Homer used the word for "spear" as a reference to "warrior" | ** Homer used the word for "spear" as a reference to "warrior" | ||
=== Migrations === | === Migrations === | ||
== Events == | == Events == | ||