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1177 BC – The Year Civilization Collapsed [video]

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Re: 1177 BC – The Year Civilization Collapsed [video]

#12

Post by arethuza »

kowdermeister wrote: post #10
kowdermeister wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- 8 civilizations collapsed - Cause unknown - Don't trust sea people :)

+ 1: don't build major cities on fault lines.

Although you may want to consider incorporating a fault scarp into your city defences:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Gate

Re: 1177 BC – The Year Civilization Collapsed [video]

#14

Post by adrianratnapala »

I like the "it's complicated" theory, but it also a bit of a cop-out. Can we not have a meta-theory? Here are three candidates:

1) Climate change. Doesn't directly cause famines because people adapt; but the adaptation might be e.g to become wondering marauders. Thus war, destruction famine etc.

2) Technological change. Iron-working upset existing power balances. The political results were different in different places but in the end there was a whole lot of war and chaos.

3) Luck. History is complicated and random things happen at all scales. Including total collapses of civilisations.

In each of these, the proximate causes of destruction are a complicated networks of events. But there are higher level explanations behind them.

Are these more general explanations testable? Are there good arguments for or against any of them?

Re: 1177 BC – The Year Civilization Collapsed [video]

#15

Post by AndrewKemendo »

kowdermeister wrote: post #10
kowdermeister wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- 8 civilizations collapsed - Cause unknown - Don't trust sea people :)

+ 1: don't build major cities on fault lines.

Someone should have told David Burnham before he built SF.

Re: 1177 BC – The Year Civilization Collapsed [video]

#16

Post by DonaldFisk »

internaut wrote: post #8
etqwzutewzu wrote: post #3

tl;dw please?

Beware of the Sea People. For more real horror stories read "The Collapse of Complex Civilizations" The Ik is the shortest example of what can only be called Lovecraftian History. What makes this material scary is that it might not be the past.

Do you mean The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter?

Re: 1177 BC – The Year Civilization Collapsed [video]

#18

Post by internaut »

DonaldFisk wrote: post #16
internaut wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beware of the Sea People. For more real horror stories read "The Collapse of Complex Civilizations" The Ik is the shortest example of what can only be called Lovecraftian History. What makes this material scary is that it might not be the past.

Do you mean The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter?

Yes. Watch out for sea people. Possible fish-frog hybrids belonging to the Esoteric Order of Dagon.
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