Take a photo of a barcode or cover
bookdragonkatie's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
A fascinating listen! I wish I had the physical copy to do a tandem read because I think I would have been able to keep track of people and places so much better, but the information that was provided and the comparisons made were so interesting. Recommend, but either as a tandem read or just the physical. The author did a great job as the narrator, though!
druid2112's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting read. As one with only a cursory knowledge of this period of history, I found it enlightening. I love a good book by an accredited academic. I learned a lot.
abfark's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
A fascinating read. Honestly, it should be required reading since it provides so much deep context for the world we live in today both in terms of cultural origins and in terms of the parallels between the world of the 14th-10th centuries B.C.E. and the world of the last few hundred years. I think that supplementing with the physical book might have helped me a bit since some of the names blended together a bit, but Cline’s interjections of humor made the book an engaging read if one I had to pay a little more attention to.
jonfaith's review against another edition
2.0
Complexity theory, especially in terms of visualizing a nonlinear progression and a series of stressors rather than a single driver, is therefore advantageous both in explaining the collapse at the end of the Late Bronze Age and in providing a way forward for continuing to study this catastrophe.
Cline is a wonderful lecturer as evidenced on YouTube. His writing however leaves a lot to be desired. He engages the prevailing theory that Sea People overthrew the Eastern Mediterranean civilizations of the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Cline asserts that it likely wasn't a singular force or linked series of intentional conquests but rather an entire cluster of events including drought and earthquakes. This was all compounded by the interdependence of this geographical region. It still isn't very convincing. Cline also wants to place the Fall of Troy in the LBA and has Homer only retelling such 400 hundred years later. This is an interesting speculation but it remains that.
Cline is a wonderful lecturer as evidenced on YouTube. His writing however leaves a lot to be desired. He engages the prevailing theory that Sea People overthrew the Eastern Mediterranean civilizations of the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Cline asserts that it likely wasn't a singular force or linked series of intentional conquests but rather an entire cluster of events including drought and earthquakes. This was all compounded by the interdependence of this geographical region. It still isn't very convincing. Cline also wants to place the Fall of Troy in the LBA and has Homer only retelling such 400 hundred years later. This is an interesting speculation but it remains that.
pam_d's review against another edition
4.0
I came to this book with the idea that this would be a bit of an epic about the end of the Bronze age. I viewed it as a good introduction to the time period since I'm know very little about it. And to be fair the description of the book seems to reinforce that impression. The reality is similar to taking a grad level course while still trying to muddle through the first chapter in the intro course. Really, I don't recommend this to anyone who is unfamiliar with the place and time because you will struggle. Many times I nearly put it down, sometimes just getting through a few pages before leaving it for a while and coming back. I know I simply didn't get a lot of it.
So what IS this book? It is a very dense (wondering if he had a page limit because the editing is tight!) informative and well written narrative of the current state of scholarship concerning the final years of the Bronze age in the Mediterranean. If this is your interest area this book would be a must read. I wish it had been 3 times longer - although that is probably my need for a more introductory text talking. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it was a tough slog for me. But recognize the deficiency is on the part of the reader and not the book.
So what IS this book? It is a very dense (wondering if he had a page limit because the editing is tight!) informative and well written narrative of the current state of scholarship concerning the final years of the Bronze age in the Mediterranean. If this is your interest area this book would be a must read. I wish it had been 3 times longer - although that is probably my need for a more introductory text talking. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it was a tough slog for me. But recognize the deficiency is on the part of the reader and not the book.
elcilor's review against another edition
1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed consists roughly of two parts: (1) the Eastern Mediterranean world plus Mesopotamia from 1500 B.C. up to the Late Bronze Age Collapse, and (2) the Late Bronze Age Collapse itself.
For me, the first part was easier to read because it provided a global overview of the "civilized" kingdoms and their interactions. Additionally, I had already read about subjects like the expulsion of the Hyksos, the Uluburun shipwreck, the Trojan War, the failed marriage between an Egyptian queen (either Ankhesenamun or Nefertiti) and a Hittite prince, the Battle of Kadesh, and the Amarna and Ugarit archives. Beyond these topics, Cline, a professor of classics and anthropology, emphasizes the economic interconnectedness of states in the region. Another excellent book on this subject is The Making of the Middle Sea by Cyprian Broodbank.
In part two, the book became truly interesting for me, and the complexity increased somewhat. What caused the collapse of various states like Ugarit, Hattusa, Mycenae, and Cyprus, as well as the impoverishment of the Egyptians? Cline mentions several possible causes: a so-called earthquake storm from c. 1225 B.C. - 1175 B.C., internal revolts, invaders such as the mysterious Sea Peoples, the collapse of international trade, possible diseases, or a mega-drought lasting 300 years and the associated famine.
While the last potential cause seems to be, in my layman’s view, by far the most important—and Cline seems to cautiously suggest it as a key factor—the book argues that it was primarily the combination of multiple or all factors, creating a "perfect storm." Other factors certainly contributed as well in my view. If there had been only drought and famine, with other factors magically absent, my viewpoint would, of course, no longer hold, because than there wouldn't be a collapse. I just think that a 300-year megadrought is a likely cause for internal revolts, invaders and economic collapse. But as always: the list of contributing factors to human behavior is almost infinite.
The book also briefly discusses complexity theory and draws parallels with modern society. If one small cog in the world system fails or functions unfavorably (think, for example, of Covid-19 in modern times), it can have major consequences for the entire system. This was especially true in the Late Bronze Age. The author does rightly note that European society has become significantly more complex over the past 300 years while not collapsing, making this argument less relevant for this time period than it was over 3,000 years ago.
While the author understandably mentions Covid-19 as an example of how things could truly go wrong (the updated version was published in February 2021), in retrospect, I don’t think it’s a strong example. After all, our system remained intact. Even climate change, while posing a poignant disaster for less wealthy countries and the animal kingdom, currently seems manageable for the world system as a whole to me. For instance, desalination plants could help during times of drought. However, Cline's main point still stands: with a few local disruptions, the system could falter. Consider today’s conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the risk of escalation in Taiwan. For what it’s worth: I remain hopeful for a promising 21st and 22nd century for humanity.
With enthusiasm I move on to the recently published After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations.
For me, the first part was easier to read because it provided a global overview of the "civilized" kingdoms and their interactions. Additionally, I had already read about subjects like the expulsion of the Hyksos, the Uluburun shipwreck, the Trojan War, the failed marriage between an Egyptian queen (either Ankhesenamun or Nefertiti) and a Hittite prince, the Battle of Kadesh, and the Amarna and Ugarit archives. Beyond these topics, Cline, a professor of classics and anthropology, emphasizes the economic interconnectedness of states in the region. Another excellent book on this subject is The Making of the Middle Sea by Cyprian Broodbank.
In part two, the book became truly interesting for me, and the complexity increased somewhat. What caused the collapse of various states like Ugarit, Hattusa, Mycenae, and Cyprus, as well as the impoverishment of the Egyptians? Cline mentions several possible causes: a so-called earthquake storm from c. 1225 B.C. - 1175 B.C., internal revolts, invaders such as the mysterious Sea Peoples, the collapse of international trade, possible diseases, or a mega-drought lasting 300 years and the associated famine.
While the last potential cause seems to be, in my layman’s view, by far the most important—and Cline seems to cautiously suggest it as a key factor—the book argues that it was primarily the combination of multiple or all factors, creating a "perfect storm." Other factors certainly contributed as well in my view. If there had been only drought and famine, with other factors magically absent, my viewpoint would, of course, no longer hold, because than there wouldn't be a collapse. I just think that a 300-year megadrought is a likely cause for internal revolts, invaders and economic collapse. But as always: the list of contributing factors to human behavior is almost infinite.
The book also briefly discusses complexity theory and draws parallels with modern society. If one small cog in the world system fails or functions unfavorably (think, for example, of Covid-19 in modern times), it can have major consequences for the entire system. This was especially true in the Late Bronze Age. The author does rightly note that European society has become significantly more complex over the past 300 years while not collapsing, making this argument less relevant for this time period than it was over 3,000 years ago.
While the author understandably mentions Covid-19 as an example of how things could truly go wrong (the updated version was published in February 2021), in retrospect, I don’t think it’s a strong example. After all, our system remained intact. Even climate change, while posing a poignant disaster for less wealthy countries and the animal kingdom, currently seems manageable for the world system as a whole to me. For instance, desalination plants could help during times of drought. However, Cline's main point still stands: with a few local disruptions, the system could falter. Consider today’s conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the risk of escalation in Taiwan. For what it’s worth: I remain hopeful for a promising 21st and 22nd century for humanity.
With enthusiasm I move on to the recently published After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations.
evie_stevie's review against another edition
2.0
@Audrey if you’re reading this don’t judge me for the date I finished haha!