[Note: This episode was originally produced in September 2014, normally resides in the 'Vintage DHP' collection available only to show supporters, but is being shared -- along with the rest of this mini-series -- on the pubic podcast feed for a limited time.] Join CJ as he discusses: Some possible explanations for the collapse, including: disease; seismic activity; climate change resulting in food shortages; mass migration (often violent), including the so-called “Sea Peoples,” who ravaged much of the Eastern Mediterranean before being stopped by the Egyptians; changes in weapons, armor, and tactics that might have allowed barbarians to defeat the armies of Bronze Age kings; The explanation Prof CJ finds the most plausible, which he terms (in very non-academia-jargon) “The Clusterfuck-Perfect Storm” model of civilizational collapse, which more refined scholars often refer to as “general systems collapse” The cascading/domino/multiplier effects that might have occurred as problems compounded and existing institutions proved unable to cope effectively with them How the people & institutions in charge failed How the high degree of centralization in Bronze Age kingdoms ultimately made them more fragile & less able to adapt to changing circumstances than they might have been if they’d been more decentralized A brief mention of the effects of the collapse, as much as can be figured out, on the lives of regular people who lived through it How the collapse may have set the stage for eventual ‘Renaissance’ in some areas, but that may have been no consolation to people who had to eke out an existence during Dark Ages which in some cases lasted a few centuries Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon, SubscribeStar, or Bitbacker. CJ’s official DHP Amazon Wish List Other ways to support the show The Dangerous History Podcast is a member of the Recorded History Podcast Network, the Dark Myths Podcast Collective & LRN.fm’s podcast roster. CJ’s Picks: Amazon Affiliate Links 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Turning Points in Ancient History) Collapse of the Bronze Age: The Story of Greece, Troy, Israel, Egypt, and the Peoples of the Sea The End of the Bronze Age Collapse of Complex Societies 1ed (New Studies in Archaeology) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices