The Bronze Age Collapse: The Civilization That Deleted Itself

Around 1200 BCE, a king sat in a burning city and dictated a letter he already knew was too late. Within a generation, eight of the most powerful civilizations on Earth were gone. This is the Bronze Age Collapse — drought, earthquakes, famine and the Sea Peoples, all at once. And the thing that made that world strong, how deeply connected it was, is exactly what killed it. But the collapse may have been the best thing that ever happened to us. No collapse, no alphabet. No Classical Greece. CHAPTERS 0:00 The last letter out of Ugarit 0:49 The most connected world on Earth 2:50 Cause #1 — The Great Drought 3:20 Cause #2 — The Earthquake Storm 4:07 Cause #3 — The Sea Peoples 4:25 The twist: they weren't the cause 4:45 Systems collapse 5:37 The dark age 6:13 What if the Bronze Age had never fallen? 7:31 Classical Greece, out of the ashes 8:10 What it means for us Episode 1 of VANISHED AGE — lost civilizations, and what would have happened if they had survived. Further reading: Eric H. Cline, "1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed." Music: [TRACK NAME] — YouTube Audio Library What civilization should we cover next? Subscribe so you don't miss it.