332. Bronze Age Apocalypse: Before The Collapse (Ep 1)

The podcast explores the Bronze Age Collapse, a period of dramatic imperial collapse around 2000 BC, focusing on the interconnectedness of ancient Mediterranean societies. Professor Josephine Quinn highlights the extensive trade networks, diplomatic relations, and cultural exchanges between major powers like Egypt, the Hittites, and Babylonia, reaching from Afghanistan to Scandinavia. The discussion reveals detailed historical sources, including archives in Hattusha and Amarna, containing diplomatic letters and records of royal squabbles over resources like gold. The interconnectedness, while fostering wealth and cultural exchange, also created vulnerabilities to climate disruptions, wars, and social unrest, potentially leading to the widespread collapse of palace economies and trade routes.