Earthquakes during the Bronze Age -- A contributor to the Collapse?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the potential role of earthquakes during the Bronze Age in contributing to the collapse of civilizations in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean regions. Participants explore various factors, including geological events, climate change, and social dynamics, without reaching a consensus on their interrelations or impacts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • One participant references a program discussing a series of large earthquakes and an 'earthquake sequence' that may have occurred over decades, suggesting a potential link to the Bronze Age collapse.
  • Another participant mentions Eric Cline's book "1177 BC" as a source of expertise on the topic, questioning how earthquakes relate to the movements of the 'sea peoples'.
  • There is uncertainty about whether the 'sea peoples' responded to earthquakes, drought, or a combination of factors affecting the region.
  • Discussion includes a mention of a severe drought occurring around 2200-2000 BCE, which may have contributed to the collapse, alongside the earthquakes.
  • One participant questions the impact of volcanic eruptions, such as Santorini, on the broader Mediterranean region, suggesting that smaller eruptions may not have had significant effects.
  • Another participant highlights the archaeological and geological evidence of earthquakes and expresses interest in the evidence of climate change as it relates to drought.
  • There is speculation that earthquakes may have disproportionately affected elite structures compared to simpler dwellings, potentially leading to a collapse of elite power.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the causes of the Bronze Age collapse, including earthquakes, drought, and social upheaval. The discussion remains unresolved, with no consensus on the primary factors or their interrelations.

Contextual Notes

Participants note limitations in understanding the exact causes of droughts and the specific impacts of geological events, indicating a need for further exploration of these topics.

Astronuc
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My wife was listening to a program on Youtube that was discussing the collapse during the late Bronze Age. I caught part of it when the narrator was discussing a series of large earthquakes in the region (Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean). The narrator also mentioned an 'earthquake sequence', which maybe what some others call a swarm. I think of a swarm as a near term sequence related to the to same geological structure.

An 'earthquake sequence' is a longer term event over 30 to 60 years (not a rigorous number range) in which stresses are not removed by each earthquake. It may also be regional, e.g., on the same fault, or in the same fault system.

I was trying to find the program by search "Fall of the Bronze Age", which is apparently the title of the program, but instead, I found other videos.

I also found this paper by Amos Nur and Eric H. Cline.
Poseidon’s Horses: Plate Tectonics and Earthquake Storms inthe Late Bronze Age Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean
http://www.ancientportsantiques.com...hivees/Tsunamis/Earthquakes-Nur&Cline2000.pdf

I'm still looking for the video I overheard, but I'm interested in other sources.
 
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Read Eric Cline’s book 1177 BC and he looks to be the expert on the topic, bit not sure how this explains the sea peoples
 
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BWV said:
Read Eric Cline’s book 1177 BC and he looks to be the expert on the topic, bit not sure how this explains the sea peoples
I'm not sure either. Did the 'sea peoples' (who are apparently not identified ethnically) respond to the earthquakes, or to the drought, which was apparently affecting Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, or a combination.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Bronze_Age_collapse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Peoples

In this forum, I'm primarily interested in the earthquakes, possible volcanic activity, and the drought (what would have been climate change in the era).

I was listening to another program on Egypt, which mentioned a severe drought 4200-4000 years ago, or 2200-2000 BCE. But the collapse of the Bronze age is dated around 1250-1150 BCE, a period which also experienced extensive drought. What caused that drought?
 
Not really any on obvious explanations, right? If Santorini (VEI 6 or 7) did not cause a collapse across the whole Mediterranean, hard to see how a smaller eruption further away could.
 
This video? Look around 35:22 minutes

 
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This is the video my wife was watching



There is mention of earthquakes, and Cline (younger) is one of those interviewed. The mention of earthquakes begins at 12:30. Cline mentions Mycenae being destroyed by earthquake, and also Troy 6, and maybe Ugarit and Megiddo destroyed by earthquakes at different times during a 50 year period. At 13:14, Cline mentions "earthquake sequence".

Certainly famine and foreign invasions would cause a diminished population, and a foreign invasion would result in destruction of buildings.

Natural events such as drought (causing famine) and large earthquakes could have played a role in displacing some peoples who then migrated to more stable regions, which also might have been experiencing famine if drought was regional, as in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

I'm curious about the archeological and geological evidence of earthquakes. I'm also interested in evidence of climate change as manifested in drought, which is a separate topic.
 
You might enjoy The Fate of Rome by Harper
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691192065/?tag=pfamazon01-20

A couple of years ago, it was found that an Icelandic volcano exploded at the correct time to explain the cold summers of Justinian’s time.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/why-536-was-worst-year-be-alive
Some believe that this is what got Justinian’s Plague moving.

I’ve heard good things about
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1040618206000474

Slightly off topic, but Tainter The Collapse of Complex Societies is a good read
https://www.amazon.com/dp/052138673X/?tag=pfamazon01-20
 
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The earthquake explanation would tie with the collapse of elites that I remember Cline referring to - one can imagine earthquakes barely impacting peasants in thatch huts while the stone palaces of the elites crumbled to ruin
 

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