Eric H. Cline's 1177 B.C.: Uncovering the Catastrophic Year Civilization Collapsed

Richard Deitering: It is credited to Aristotle that he said, "It is the sign of an educated mind that can entertain a thought and not accept it." Even though I may not agree with Eric Cline's hypothesis, his book does stir the imagination and will make you verify everything you think you know about the bronze era decline and its vanished societies. In other words, this book raises more questions than it answers. It is the kick start any researcher would need to delve deeper into their studies of these ancient lands. I know it has expanded my research in my studies on the Minoans and Hittites. A fresh perspective sometimes brings greater thought and Eric Cline has some ideas that should be at least entertained.

United States on Nov 22, 2023

Amazon Customer: This book is not an easy read for a person without some background in ancient history. This is not a comment about the quality of the research or writing, which is very good. But if you're looking for an easy read about a subject you're unfamiliar with, this is not the book for you.

United States on Nov 04, 2023

Igor B. Títoff: A cogent introductory review of the period with up-to-date research. It gives a fresh look at how life must have been in those days, both for individuals and societies as a whole. One striking conclusion is how developed and interconnected these kingdoms were, which is kind of mind boggling since these events took place almost 1000 years before classical Athens. A worthy read.

United States on Oct 24, 2023

Tamás Smahajcsik-Szabó: I'm a history buff with a soft spot for the Ancient times. The book has given me all the fantastic narratives, the details on the events and all the inspiration I was hoping for to get from it. And even more! The chapter on complex systems and some network perspective on the Collapse rhymed with my network analysis activities in social and computational research. I can't wait for the sequel! Thank you, Professor Cline!

Germany on Sep 01, 2023

Julian: Very good book!

United Kingdom on Aug 03, 2023

Paul Withers: The book provides a thorough overview of the various civilizations across the Bronze Age Mediterranean and the circumstances in each leading up to the end of the Bronze Age. It’s clear our knowledge is constantly evolving, and our understanding will evolve with each new scientific discovery.

United Kingdom on Jul 23, 2023

Alicia Montemayor: La actualización es muy buena y relevante. Es un libro de difusión para lectores interesados en el periodo de la edad de bronce tardía.
Sin embargo, no es un libro básico, sino que combina un estilo ágil de escritura, con una gran erudición.
Cline es uno de los grandes estudiosos del periodo.

Mexico on Jul 01, 2023

Matthew Rapaport: This is one (number 6) of a series of books about pivotal historical periods, in this case, the end of the Bronze Age between 1200 and 1100 B.C. I’m a history hobbyist and enjoy these reads, and this one concerns a historical moment I’ve not encountered before. The work focuses on the Mediterranean from roughly Greece (and in North Africa Libya) to what today we call the “middle east.” In 1300 B.C. There were, in this arena, a half dozen or more little empires and statelets, the big dog on the block being Egypt. Archeological evidence (including writing preserved in stone or fired clay) points to thriving international commerce in perishable and durable goods, diplomacy, and vibrant cultural exchange. In effect and within this little region, the world, for the first time, had achieved a supply-chain interdependence similar to our own today.

So what happened? The book is about the closing of the Bronze Age around the Eastern Mediterranean, Levant, and Near East, which required bronze! Bronze is made from copper, mixed about ten-to-one with tin. Copper was found in various places around the Mediterranean, but in those days, tin came from only one place, Afghanistan!...

United States on Dec 15, 2022

Nikschen: The book is well researched and has a ton of facts. if you are history junkie this will work for you. It is however not really written with a consistent story in mind. So it reads more like a history text book and less like a novel or a book for relaxation. Fascinating subject, felt the author left the pre-face and afterword hanging a bit. They were framing the new version of the book in relation to the current socio/political events with Corona, Nationalism and Climate changing impacting our world... but then never really came back to that framing in the book and thus it felt like they wanted to make a statement, but then did not really dare drive an opinion home with this book. A shame... Either don't bring it up at all, or finish the thought line.

Netherlands on Jan 16, 2022

Gary Fullerton: Eric Kline’s 2nd Edition of the book 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed is an epiphany for those who stood before the mute stones of Mycenae, Troy, Egyptian Pyramids, and Armageddon trying to decipher events a thousand years hence. Professor Kline’s book presents hard facts, dates, and direct Bronze age reports of mythological events recorded centuries later in the Iliad, Odyssey, and Hebrew Bible. We know the stories but what is the reality reflected in the folk memory of such cataclysmically important events.

Decades of science and scholarship slowly reveal a sometimes-frightening story of vibrant lives snuffed out by uncontrollably violent, tragic events. The most direct reports come from cuneiform letters on clay tablets between kings, merchants, and high official recording treaties, marriages, gift exchanges, requests for foreign aid, and so many other events of the day sounding as if they were yesterday’s CNN news reports. These tablets from sites in present day Egypt, Israel, Syria, Cyprus, Crete, and Iraq summarize the results of over 100 years of archeological excavations, documentation, and scholastic study of clay document records. A historical...

United States on Mar 02, 2021