[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: Leaders get undeserved credit during good times, but blamed during bad times. Specialization & division of labor are great, until trade is disrupted. There’s NEVER one single thing that causes a TEOTWAWKI collapse; it’s always a multifaceted clusterfuck Declines can happen slowly, but also relatively quickly (most of the Bronze Age Collapse unfolded over less than 50 years.) You have to be plugged in & paying attention, because in the Bronze Age Collapse, things seemed to be fine and normal right up till the point that the shit really hit the fan. You don’t want to be in big cities during a collapse. Bronze Age civilizations collapsed despite having pretty good stores of surplus food from good years; how would we fare, with little or no stores of food and other goods? You don’t want to be alone/isolated during a collapse. The ideal location would be a small town situated in a remote and/or rugged location You can’t count on the people & institutions who steered you into the collapse, so you shouldn’t count on them to steer you out (or even to effectively manage the symptoms) Dark Ages are pretty rough, but as the old dinosaur systems collapse, opportunities are created who are tough, clever, and willing to adapt; they (or perhaps their descendants) might end up freer and better off in the long run, as the society rebuilds. Final food for thought: Ponder: Are we already IN a collapse, but a slow-mo one? CJ points out some parallel symptoms of the Bronze Age Collapse to our current situation. 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