The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe Ca. 1200 B.C.Robert Drews | 1900-01-01 00:00:00 | Princeton University Press | 280 | Ancient
The Bronze Age came to a close early in the twelfth century b.c. with one of the worst calamities in history: over a period of several decades, destruction descended upon key cities throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, bringing to an end the Levantine, Hittite, Trojan, and Mycenaean kingdoms and plunging some lands into a dark age that would last more than four hundred years. In his attempt to account for this destruction, Robert Drews rejects the traditional explanations and proposes a military one instead.
Reviews It is very rare that I enjoy a book that is so academic: the author has a novel interpretation to make, which he constructs from a combination of written sources, archaeological evidence, and interpretation of art. Unlike many such studies that are exceedingly dry and eccentrically partisan, the author is a truly fine writer. It sustained my interest the whole way through, for a delightful reading experience.
About 1200 BCE, the Bronze Age ended in what the author calls "the Catastrophe". A relatively peaceful and stable way of life, with an extraordinarily rich culture that had lasted for centuries across the entire eastern Mediterranean, was swept away, initiating a dark age of several centuries. The causes of this have never been completely explained, hence the purpose of the book.
First, he eliminates the causes that have been proposed and found wanting: massive earthquake, migration, global draught or climate shift, system failure based on class tensions, and raids. In many ways, this is a wonderful introduction to the way academics think: they find evidence to demolish popular hypotheses, complete with asides on the errors of their authors. TO his credit, the author does so convincingly with humor and without the petty oneupsmanship that plagues the humanities.
Second, he builds a new hypothesis: that it was a change in the nature of warfare: the end of the age of the chariot, as brought down by the re-equipped foot soldier. To prove his point, he offers a dazzling overview of the forces at work during the period, from developments in weaponry to the sociology of elites of the period and commerce. To be sure, there are some points that are too labored, such as the interpretation of relevant examples of political art in Egypt or the archaeology of swords North of the Danube. But his writing is so clear, his ideas so interesting, and his vision so comprehensive that it fascinates from page 1. The entire book unfolds like an intricate tapestry, whose intersections of overlap fit into a coherent interpretation.
In my reading, the cultures of the Mediterranean Bronze Age had reached a kind of apogee. Elites ruled from citadels, engaging with eachother over great distances through rarified and accepted forms of communication and fealty. Controlling resources and the means of warfare, they had far more in common with eachother than with their linguistic and ethnic compatriots. Because of the requirements of bronzemaking (to unite copper and tin), an extensive trade network existed. Warfare, the author argues, had evolved into a somewhat static form: huge arrays of chariots - pulled by two horses and carrying a driver and archer - were the principal weapons of assault, with foot soldiers supporting them and unable alone to oppose them effectively. The apparatus was extremely costly, requiring technology, spare parts, highly specialized training, and craftsmanship. This is similar to the knights of the medieval chivalric age, with their armour, mores, and rituals governing very real armed conflicts. The author makes a solid argument for such an interpretation, which I cannot evaluate but I remain skeptical.
Then about 1200 BCE, the chariot suddenly lost its central place. The means to challenge the chariot came from newly armed foot soliders, who gained specialized javelins to attack chariot horses (stopping them for assault by foot); swords designed for slashing rather than thrusting; and a variety of innovations such as better balanced circular shields and new body armor designs. These soldiers apparently worked first as mercenaries to the chariot-based empires, but learned they could disable their employers and sack their palaces to plunder their wealth; the empires proved largely unable to train their forces to face these new invaders or remained stubbornly reluctant to adapt to new kinds of warfare that were emerging with iron and steel. The foot soldiers then became marauding hordes that destroyed virtually all of the Bronze Age empires, with the exceptions of Egypt and Mesopotamia, which repulsed attacks but were permanently reduced in power and reach.
While the argument certainly captures some of the truth, he does not explain why it happened at that moment, 1200 BCE. Even the identity of the invaders is uncertain. Finally, I would have liked more on the Iron Age culture that emerged as well as the elements of the Bronze Age cultures.
Warmly recommended. This is one of the best academic studies I have read in years.
Reviews This book is excellent and should be required reading if you want to understand why the bronze age ended and great civilizations collapsed. The author seems to have an outstanding knowledge of the subject. It also excellent for thosse with an interest in military history.
Reviews All I have to say is, "Wow!" I am extremely impressed with the author's research behind the decline and fall of the Bronze Age giving the opportunity for the Iron Age and all Iron Age civilization (i.e. the Greeks, the Israelites, etc.) to rise to power. The author debunks all previous assumptions to what brought the Bronze Age to an end and concentrates specifically on the problem from a military standpoint. His hypothesis sound very plausible and his research does all the speaking for him. This is a great wealth of published details concerning the Sea Peoples and more.
Reviews I had a very hard time getting into Robert Drews' "The End of the Bronze Age." The author's thesis is that changes in warfare resulted in the prolonged "Dark Ages" from roughly 1200 BC to 750 BC in the Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, though he also goes into several other possibilities. I guess I was hoping for a book that explained the Dark Ages, what existed just prior, the extent of it, and a better understanding for it in general. Instead this is a very narrow book, solely aimed at trying to come up with a reason, to the exclusion of the larger significance of it. If you're writing a PhD thesis on this topic this book may be for you, otherwise you may have a hard time staying interested.
Reviews This is one of those books that if you are reading you already have a specific interest in the subject matter.
The book is well written and concise and provides information in a very readable and logical format. You will not be disappointed.
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