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1177 B.C.
- The Year Civilization Collapsed
- Narrated by: Andy Caploe
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
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1177 B.C.
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Summary
In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded Egypt. The pharaoh’s army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of the late second millennium B.C., which had stretched from Greece to Egypt and Mesopotamia, suddenly ceased to exist, along with writing systems, technology, and monumental architecture. But the Sea Peoples alone could not have caused such widespread breakdown. How did it happen?
In this major new account of the causes of this "First Dark Ages", Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by multiple interconnected failures, ranging from invasion and revolt to earthquakes, drought, and the cutting of international trade routes. Bringing to life the vibrant multicultural world of these great civilizations, he draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and globalized peoples of the Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse and ushered in a dark age that lasted centuries.
A compelling combination of narrative and the latest scholarship, 1177 B.C. sheds new light on the complex ties that gave rise to, and ultimately destroyed, the flourishing civilizations of the Late Bronze Age - and that set the stage for the emergence of classical Greece.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jim
- 06-04-14
Entertaining and Thought Provoking
1177 B.C. strikes a fine balance between telling a story and acknowledging the extent to which gaps in the evidence make it difficult to speak write with certainty about the ancient world. A personal problem with histories covering this period is that they can either be a bit too dry to appeal to the general reader; focusing on tussles between academics at the cost of maintaining the reader's interest; or they gloss over the fact that historians are working with partial documents in dead languages and fragmentary archaeological evidence which evokes a suspicion that they're offering a superficial summary. Eric Cline hits a real sweet spot in acknowledging the uncertainties while maintaining a gripping narrative drive as he describes Bronze Age civilization; charts its destabilization and draws lessons about how our own world parallels many of the factors that lead to the 1177 BC collapse. After one listen it's gone straight back to the beginning for a second time. Highly recommended for history fans
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17 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nathan S.
- 13-09-18
Good fact based analysis, repetitive at the end
A really good overview of the fall of civilisations at the end of the late Bronze age, backed up by a good explanation of archaeological evidence.
Unfortunately the last few chapters are a little repetitive, especially chapters 8 and 9 and the listing of archaeological evidence can sometimes be a bit dry.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- JM
- 19-07-20
I want more like this!
I loved this book. it was interesting, well read and clearly the product of serious scholarship.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- manonix
- 22-06-21
no longer a dark stretch in history
easy to follow, very interesting and gripping. an unknown piece of history explained in a clear way.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- padric
- 18-06-21
Great low down on this period in history.
A bit too detailed for a simple minded pop-history fan like myself.
I had no right knowing which archeologist and historians opinions were discovered when.
If that's your thing, this would be right up you're street.
But overall, really good I think.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Meirion
- 10-01-22
A fascinating new topic for me
When listening to this I found out I new very little about end of Bronze Age and the Sea Peoples. This book had a whole lot of new knowledge for me and set me off looking for other books on the topic
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sara D.
- 03-05-18
Spoiled by the narrator & the overuse of "However"
I feel that reading the book in the good old fashioned way would have been far more rewarding. For me, the narrator became irritating; the overuse of the word "However", emphasised by his accent & style, particularly so.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- james
- 01-06-20
Wealth of information at an enjoyable pace.
I have listened to this 2 or 3 times. It is so surprising how sophisticated the trade links were between these ancient civilisations . The book is full of letters from ancient Kings and Pharaohs painting a living and engaging picture of a thriving international community of interdependent peoples. A great listen!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Norm de Plume
- 24-01-24
Great listen.
I have a loop of the author saying “Shoopilooliooma the third” over and over again. You should try it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. R. Frost
- 24-04-14
Brilliant book: shame about the narrator.
Where does 1177 B.C. rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Notwithstanding the poor narration, this audiobook takes pride of place in my Ancient History collection.
What was one of the most memorable moments of 1177 B.C.?
Prof. Cline has satisfactorily resolved the issue of the Sea People.
What aspect of Andy Caploe’s performance might you have changed?
He reads this work as if it were a 'Gangster' novelette. He unnecessarily over-emphasizes words, and I found that I was listening to the delivery rather than the content.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, because I would carry out further research, after each section. This however was my choice.
Any additional comments?
It is a great pity that Prof. Cline was not allowed to read this work, himself. He is a great lecturer, (see the Great Courses on Audible) and would immediately engage and hold the listener. I shall buy the book.
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23 people found this helpful