Bronze Age Collapse

The Bronze Age Collapse, around 1200 BCE, was a period marked by the sudden decline of several advanced civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East, including the Mycenaeans, Hittites, and Egyptians. This transition involved widespread destruction of cities, disruption of trade, and a shift to smaller, less centralized societies. Causes may include invasions by groups like the Sea Peoples, climate change leading to famine, and internal strife. The collapse led to a significant loss of literacy and technological knowledge, paving the way for the emergence of the Iron Age and fundamentally changing the cultural landscape of the region.