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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 migrants fleeing famine.

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The Teresh, Sherden, and Shekelesh fled Anatolian famine to live in Italy

Several myths claim Italy was settled by travelers from Asia Minor. Famine is the likely cause of the migration and is confirmed by multiple sources. These migrants may be the Sea People who attacked the Hittites, Egypt, the Levant, and Greece while on their way to Italy.
Ancient History
Gerald Wainwright
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The Argument

One of the ethnic groups mentioned by the Egyptian records is the Teresh. "Teresh" is believed to be the Egyptian word for "Tyrrhenian", another name given to the Etruscans (named after their King Tyrrhenus). The Etruscans called themselves the Tyrsenoi. The Etruscans lived in ancient Italy, but it was claimed they were once pirates who had roots in Anatolia.[1] Herodotus claims the Etruscans were Lydians from Asia Minor who left due to famine and settled in Italy. Sources from the Late Bronze Age seem to confirm there was a famine in Anatolia during this period.[1] Based on etymology, two other groups among the Sea People can be connected with Italy. "Sherden" may be the Egyptian word for the Sardinians and the ‘Shekelesh’ could be the ancient "Sicels" who settled in Sicily. [2] The horned helmets and round shields depicted in the Egyptian reliefs of the Sherden are found in Sardinian graves.[3] There is archaeological evidence for an Anatolian connection with Italy. Lugged axes, common in Asia Minor, have been found all over the coast of Italy. The Populonia tombs in Etruria contains weapons from the region between the Caucus and the Caspian. A study of blood groups in Italy has also established a connection between the two regions. [1] Roman myths about their origins include the belief that Trojans from Asia Minor came to Italy. There appears to be a connection a link between ancient Italy and Asia Minor, probably caused by mass famine in this period. The Sea People were traveling to Italy when they attacked Anatolia, then Egypt, and finally Greece before settling in Italy.

Counter arguments

The Egyptian texts clearly state that many of the Sea People were settled in Egypt by the Pharaoh and therefore are unlikely to have ended up in Italy.[4] Although Herodotus does say that the Etruscans moved from Anatolia to Italy, the 12th century is too early to fit with his narrative. The Etruscans probably settled in the 8th-7th centuries BC, when the first artifacts which are distinctly Etruscan begin to appear. Although many scholars agree that the Sherden and Shekelesh were Sardinian and Sicilians, they may have been natives rather than people who moved there. Alternatively, some scholars believe that the Sherden were from Sardis or Illyria. There is some genetic evidence of Balkan's haplogroups represented in Sardinian DNA. Many scholars also argue for Illyrian/Balkan origins for the Sicels, whose material culture can be found in the Balkans. Herodotus gives the Sicels a Scythian origin story.[5]Traces of Anatolian artifacts in Italy may be from trade only. Herodotus is not a reliable source. Herodotus’ view that the Etruscans were from Anatolia was already contested in antiquity by Dionysius of Halicarnassus who believed they were native Italians. The majority of scholars who study the Etruscans believe they came from an early wave of Latin, Umbrian and Oscan migrants to the Italian peninsula, which accounts for the similarities in their customs. The Etruscan language is of uncertain origin, but the alphabet is similar to Greek.[6] People who believe they are from Asia Minor make up a fringe minority, who are often not Etruscan scholars.[7] There are many explanations for the origins of the Etruscans, some of which better fit the timeline and the archaeology we have.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] The Teresh, Sherden, and Shekelesh can all be identified as groups living in Italy through both archaeological finds and the etymological similarities in their names. [P2] The Etruscans are rumored to have left Anatolia due to severe famines. [P3] The Romans held that Italy was colonized by Trojans from Asia Minor. [C] The Sea people were Anatolian refugees who settled in Italy.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] The Etruscans probably left Anatolia much later than the Bronze Age Collapse, if they left at all.

References

  1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3642340?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=The+Teresh%2C+the+Etruscans+and+Asia+Minor&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DThe%2BTeresh%252C%2Bthe%2BEtruscans%2Band%2BAsia%2BMinor%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff%26group%3Dnone&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_SYC-5462%2Ftest&refreqid=fastly-default%3A509d234b9dde38358e85723a3a46ba72&seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents
  2. https://www.cogniarchae.com/2018/06/30/origins-of-the-sea-peoples-the-sherden-the-shekelesh-the-peleset/
  3. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=n1TmVvMwmo4C&pg=PA368&lpg=PA368&dq=sherden+sicily+horned+helmets&source=bl&ots=f3UIZC6lhB&sig=ACfU3U3YJQRLMhbcjjucbgLlygqdxN23yQ&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=sherden%20sicily%20horned%20helmets&f=false
  4. https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/1177_B_C.html?id=39qIngEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
  5. https://www.cogniarchae.com/2018/06/30/origins-of-the-sea-peoples-the-sherden-the-shekelesh-the-peleset/
  6. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Etruscan-language
  7. https://www.academia.edu/7287651/The_Ethnicity_of_the_Sea_Peoples_dissertation_

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This page was last edited on Monday, 30 Nov 2020 at 13:07 UTC

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