1177 B.C.
by Eric H. Cline, Cecilia Belza · first published 2014
70% recommend30% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Accessible overview of the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean, its interconnected trading states, and the factors behind their collapse, including what primary sources reveal; suits readers new to the period.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded Egypt. The pharaoh’s army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of the late second millennium B.C., which had stretched from Greece to Egyp
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I read this a while back (http://www.amazon.com/1177-B-C-Civilization-Collapsed-Turnin...), and one of the really interesting points was just how interconnected civilizations were, even way back in the Bronze Age. Long distance trade, diplomatic relations,…
on “Tracing the life story of a Bronze Age female” ↗…material therein analyzing caches of trading records that have been discovered, which provides a fascinating window on just how interconnected the world was, even that far back. [1] http://www.amazon.com/1177-B-C-Civilization-Collapsed-Turnin...
on “Slaughter at the bridge: Uncovering a colossal Bronze Age battle” ↗If you are interested in this kind of history, you might be interested in this book: 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed Which looks at the cosmopolitan trading civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean during the 1400-1177 bc era, and how it collapsed. https://www.amazon.com/1177-B-C-Civilization-Collapsed-Turni...
on “Akhenaten: mad, bad, or brilliant? (2014)” ↗Eric Cline, the author of the piece, wrote the book "1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed", a book on the bronze age collapse I found very interesting. In the 1980's, the BBC produced a series called "In Search of Troy", written and presented by Michael Wood,…
on “Digging Up Troy” ↗There isn’t consensus on who the sea people were. You might be interested in the book “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed” by Eric H. Cline, which covers what we know about the pre-collapse civilizations as well as the collapse itself. It’s very fascinating, though it seems a lot of the…
on “This is How Civilisations Collapse” ↗Fascinating map! I just got done reading "1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed" by Eric Cline. Fascinating look at civilization in ancient times. While I'd heard of many of the empires/kingdoms mentioned, it was always hard to think of them as "real"…
on “Map of battles fought since 2500 B.C” ↗…about who they were, and where they came from, hence any wild claims are harder to disprove. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_the_Hyksos For a good up-to-date erudite but readable account, see '1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed' by Eric Cline. [prologue] http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/p10185.pdf
on “Does Chinese Civilization Come from Ancient Egypt?” ↗…one of the funniest movies I've ever watched) and I would highly recommend reading it to anyone who's curious how this movie came to exist or is just looking for a good laugh. Other than that I found "1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed" by Eric Cline a very interesting read, especially when it comes to methods described to figure out what happened over 3000 years ago. Contrary to it's title it's not…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗The book is great too: https://www.amazon.com/1177-B-C-Civilization-Collapsed-Turni...
on “Ask HN: Best Talks of 2019?” ↗Recommendation: Read “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed” by Eric H. Cline https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691208015/11...
on “1.5-Inch Hand-Carved Agate from 1500 B.C. Shows Sub-Millimeter Details (2017)” ↗I just posted a list of articles earlier today.[0] Choosing one article and one book, I would go with - Stylized Facts in the Social Sciences by Daniel Hirschman - 1177 B.C. by Eric Cline [0] https://bcmullins.github.io/interesting-articles-2022/
on “Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2022?” ↗…notes when I read. Now, I occasionally also get a nice message from someone who stumbled onto something new. Enjoy! Here's the list: * Fading Foundations by David Atkinson and Jeanne Peijnenburg * 1177 B.C. by Eric Cline * The Isles: A History by Norman Davies * How Carrots Won the Trojan War by Rebecca Rupp * The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson * Pythagoras and the…
on “Interesting Books I've Read in 2022” ↗If anyone's interested in the Sea Peoples and the Late Bronze Age, I recommend 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline. It gives a great overview of the primary sources and evidences for the factors leading to the Late Bronze Age collapse, including the role the Sea Peoples…
on “Mycenaean Warriors and the Sea-Peoples (2013)” ↗For all who are interested in this period in history, I highly recommend the book “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed” by Eric H. Cline
on “Mycenaean Warriors and the Sea-Peoples (2013)” ↗On a pop history/nonfiction streak this year: Assyria, The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric Cline Children of Ash and Elm, a History of the Vikings by Neil Price
on “Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?” ↗