Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Who were the Sea People who attacked Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age Collapse?
Position‹5 of 5

The Sea People were bandits and raiders.

Far from causing the Bronze Age Collapse, the Sea People were some of its victims. Loose confederations of pirates and raiders were forced into a life of crime due to the chaos of the Late Bronze Age. They represent no one nation or ethnic group, and no one cataclysmic event. A complex series of events in this period saw a sharp rise in opportunistic banditry.

Supporting arguments · 3

  1. The other causes of the Bronze Age Collapse created widespread piracy
    The Bronze Age collapse can be attributed to climate change, famine, earthquakes, economic difficulties, internal military struggles, and banditry. The Sea people were likely raiders. They were victims of the collapse rather than its principle cause.
  2. The Sea People were pirates, they cannot be identified as an ethnic group.
    The Sea People mentioned in the Egyptian sources consisted of roving bands of people from various places who turned to piracy. It is difficult to identify their ethnicity because they are not synonymous with any nation. Claims of their existence have been exaggerated by archaeologists.
  3. 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.