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Society

How fall of Bronze Age civilisations holds lessons for modern world

The fall of a couple of Mediterranean civilisations 3000 years ago had destabilising effects on their neighbours, according to a computer simulation, offering hints for avoiding similar disruptions today

By Jeremy Hsu

19 January 2024

The lion gate at Hattusa

A gate at Hattusa, ancient capital of the Hittite civilisation

Erman Gunes/Shutterstock

The collapse of several Mediterranean civilisations in the Late Bronze Age may have been caused by cascading instability across networks of political alliances and trade, according to simulations. That may hold lessons for preventing a similar disruption of the modern world’s global economy.

The Late Bronze Age collapse between 1200 and 1100 BC saw a number of civilisations crumble, including the Mycenaeans in Greece and the Hittites in Anatolia. Others, including Egypt’s New Kingdom, were left weakened by the collapse. Possible triggering factors include earthquakes, climate…

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