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My text tells me it was gradual (a gradual decline in manufacturing and population) and that the decline affected neighboring Mediterranean areas. Tell me why this couldn't be a plague. I would think if it was an invasion, the decline, especially in trade, would have been more sudden rather than gradual. Were the Sea Peoples' invasion (I know that's controversial) that powerful to have such an effect over such a large area and so many kingdoms??
I was under the impression that the collapse was due in part to the explosion of an island, whose name I cannot remember, in the Mediterranean. Or was only Crete and the Minoan civilisation affected?
Is it the island Thera you're thinking of? I might be wrong here, but that is what was believed to be the cause of Minoan collapse, but recent archeological evidence shows more and more that the eruption predated the Minoan collapse by 150-200 years, and other evidence also points to the Myceneaems occupying Crete and eventually conquering the Minoans.
Yeah, Thera is what I was thinking of. The cold here in Europe must be affecting my brain. It was 5 farenheit here this morning.
But the Dorian Invasion isn't set in stone. Could be someone else or a combination of others or a combination of other factors, like the climate or the economy wasn't strong or not a good enough economic system to sustain it. To answer my own question, it was unlikely a plague because there's no records of it by the Egyptians.
I have exhausted my store of knowledge on this. Ask me about the Romans and I could say volumes, but for some reason the Ancient Greeks don't interest me that much.Coincidentally, my son is covering Ancient Greece in 6th grade history right now.
But the Dorian Invasion isn't set in stone. Could be someone else or a combination of others or a combination of other factors, like the climate or the economy wasn't strong or not a good enough economic system to sustain it. To answer my own question, it was unlikely a plague because there's no records of it by the Egyptians.
The Dorian Invasion is the best explanation, trust me. 🙂
Certainly don't rule that out, but I think a weak economic system is a very good explanation. Here's some other theories. I agree most with Carpenter's and Iakovides theories. It wouldn't take much. A series of small earthquakes or a season or two of droughts and bam it's over.
