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Who were the Sea People who attacked Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age Collapse? Who were the Sea People who attacked Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age Collapse?
The Sea People were Mycenaean Greeks The Sea People were Mycenaean Greeks
The Sea People were migrants fleeing famine. The Sea People were migrants fleeing famine.
The Sea People were an emerging Anatolian power The Sea People were an emerging Anatolian power
The Sea People were created by invaders passing through the Balkans The Sea People were created by invaders passing through the Balkans
The Sea People were bandits and raiders. The Sea People were bandits and raiders.
The Greeks turned to piracy after the Trojan War The Greeks turned to piracy after the Trojan War
Some of the Sea People were Philistines of Greek extraction Some of the Sea People were Philistines of Greek extraction
The Teresh, Sherden, and Shekelesh fled Anatolian famine to live in Italy The Teresh, Sherden, and Shekelesh fled Anatolian famine to live in Italy
Scientific and written evidence proves there was severe drought and famine Scientific and written evidence proves there was severe drought and famine
The Luwian People from Asia Minor are the mythical Trojans The Luwian People from Asia Minor are the mythical Trojans
Some of the ethnic groups in the sources can be traced to Anatolian lands Some of the ethnic groups in the sources can be traced to Anatolian lands
Archaeology from the Balkans indicates a crisis prior to the Bronze Age Collapse Archaeology from the Balkans indicates a crisis prior to the Bronze Age Collapse
The Sea People were pirates, they cannot be identified as an ethnic group. The Sea People were pirates, they cannot be identified as an ethnic group.
The other causes of the Bronze Age Collapse created widespread piracy The other causes of the Bronze Age Collapse created widespread piracy
Changes in Late Bronze Age warfare led to extensive raiding Changes in Late Bronze Age warfare led to extensive raiding
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Who were the Sea People who attacked Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age Collapse?
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The Sea People were bandits and raiders.

< (5 of 5)

Changes in Late Bronze Age warfare led to extensive raiding

For most of the Bronze Age, warfare was fought by armies of charioteers funded by kings. New tactics made use of heavily armored infantrymen (the precursors of the Greek phalanx). This change gave a tactical advantage to small warbands and raiders, undermining the power of Bronze Age palatial kings.
Ancient History
Robert Drews
< (3 of 3)

The Argument

The Bronze Age period was characterized by civilizations centered around palaces which acted as storehouses. Kings and queens who controlled these palaces, used their considerable wealth to raise armies of charioteers to defend themselves. Innovations in military tactics saw the rise of shield-bearing infantrymen who used swords and wore body armor. The old techniques used in warfare relied on light infantry who threw projectiles and used bows; effective against charioteers but hugely ineffective against heavily armored infantrymen.[1] Changes in military tactics shifted the balance of power in the Mediterranean. During this troubled period, groups of raiders and pirates made use of these new technologies, which made them far more than the nuisance they had been before. Cheaper than outfitting an army with chariots and horses, armor and swords were an inexpensive alternative that could be used by small groups of warbands. The reliefs in Egypt which depict the Sea People show them using swords and shields, unlike their opponents.[2] Palatial kings did not catch up in time with technological changes to defend themselves from piracy and banditry.[3] The Bronze Age collapse was caused partly by the introduction of new military techniques that were effective against old-fashioned chariot armies used across the Aegean. The Sea People were pirates who took part in this military revolution.

Counter arguments

The military evolution explanation of the Bronze Age Collapse does not explain the motives or origins of the invaders. If widespread piracy was a factor, there must have been some cause.[4] If the Sea People really had learned to use superior technology to fight the established elites of the Bronze Age, it begs the question of why a disorganized band of pirates and raiders hit upon the idea before complex civilizations did. The Sardana or Sherden, are mentioned many times in Egyptian texts before the Sea People invasions, and appear to have been used as Egyptian mercenaries. It is unlikely the Egyptians were surprised by their use of swords and shields.[5] The military invention explanation does not sufficiently explain the origins of the Sea People.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Advances in warfare were used by the Sea People, as depicted in the reliefs in Egypt. [P2] The new technology was highly effective against established armies across the Mediterranean who used chariots. [C] Bandits and raiders, previously only a nuisance, devastated the Mediterranean with their new military tactics.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_End_of_the_Bronze_Age.html?id=bFpK6aXEWN8C
  2. https://www.academia.edu/10445433/Ancient_Military_Technology_and_Materiel_Continuity_and_Change_in_Ancient_Close_Combat_Warfare
  3. https://www.academia.edu/7046876/ROBERT_DREWS_The_end_of_the_bronze_age
  4. https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/1177_B_C.html?id=39qIngEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
  5. https://img.4plebs.org/boards/tg/image/1498/88/1498880873171.pdf

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This page was last edited on Saturday, 15 May 2021 at 08:32 UTC

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