Resilience and Rebirth: Lessons Learned from the Aftermath of the Late Bronze Age Collapse
April 2024 | Vol. 12.4 By Eric H. Cline Some thirty years ago, the respected sociologist Shmuel Eisenstadt said bluntly that “ancient states and civilizations do not collapse a
From Words into Pictures: Adapting 1177 BC for Comics
April 2024 | Vol. 12.4 By Glynnis Fawkes When Princeton University Press editor Rob Tempio first suggested a graphic adaptation of Eric Cline’s 1177 BC, I wasn’t sure how it c
The Harsh Life of Diplomatic Messengers in Egypt in the Late Bronze Age
September 2023 | Vol. 11.9 By Mohy-Eldin E. Abo-Eleaz International relations in Egypt during the Late Bronze Age (~1500 BCE – 1200 BCE) depended mainly on diplomatic envoys; the
The Remarkable Rise of Assyria: A Reassessment
July 2023 | Vol. 11.7 By Bleda S. Düring Assyria is one of the most remarkable imperial states in global history, often celebrated as the first “world empire”. At its peak, du
What Can Mythological Narratives tell us about Mycenaean Long-Distance Trade in the Bronze Age?
February 2023 | Vol. 11.2 By Jörg Mull Locations of Mycenaean Pottery Finds in the Mediterranean basin. Map by Olav Ode. The Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600 to 1150 BCE) was a time of u
Oil, Wine, and People: A Mediterranean Triad
january 2023 | Vol. 11.1 By Catherine E. Pratt Olive oil and wine are integrated into the daily lives and seasonal rhythms of people living in modern Greece. Perhaps even more stri
How Did the Kings of the Late Bronze Age Deal with Rumors?
january 2023 | Vol. 11.1 By Mohy-Eldin Elnady Abo-Eleaz In the Late Bronze Age, a so-called Club of Great Powers arose and divided the control of the Ancient Near East among themse
Putting the Luwian Culture on the Map
january 2023 | Vol. 11.1 By Eberhard Zangger and Serdal Mutlu Troy stands out in the popular imagination thanks to Homer’s Iliad. However, in archaeological terms Troy may seem
The Fall of the Bronze Age and the Destruction that Wasn’t
December 2022 | Vol. 10.12 By Jesse Millek In any telling of the end of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) in the Eastern Mediterranean, there is one key theme that emerges as an integral c
A New Money Economy at the Dawn of the Iron Age
June 2022 | Vol. 10.6 By Elon Heymans Money attracts not only people, but also stories. For example, among his many digressions, the Greek historian Herodotus recounts the story of