Who were the Sea Peoples? | The Bronze Age Collapse 

Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: ow.ly/8J1C30spaZa

I love that one of the great mysteries of all of history is just "Sea people"

“Hittite, Assyria, Canaan, Egypt. Long ago, these four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Sea People invaded.”

The "Sea Peoples" and the Late Bronze Age Collapse is quite possibly one of the most engrossing historical mysteries there is. The high-level view of the basic facts is intriguing and the more you drill down and the more you learn, even after dispelling myths, it just gets more and more interesting. It also doesn't hurt having a charismatic guy like Eric Cline do presentations about the archaeology and scholarship he does about it.

This was excellent. My undergrad thesis in 1994 was on who the Sea People might have been. My conclusion- they were Greeks (when I say Greeks I am referring to the entire Greek world, the mainland, the Aegean Islands and Crete, what is generally lumped in as Mycenaean). The basic facts I found persuasive for coming to my conclusion were: - Moshe and Trude Dothan’s archaeological work on the Philistines which even back then convinced me they were of Greek origins. The pottery and writing similarities were too convincing. I’m glad to see that DNA evidence has pretty much proved this now. - The fact that the Greeks/Mycenaeans were not a homogeneous people and would have been viewed by the Egyptians (and themselves) as separate groups with different names. - The similarities of the depictions of the helmets and armor of many of the Sea People by the Egyptions to the depiction of Greek warriors on late Bronze Age Mycenaean vases and pottery. - The fact that during the bronze age trade was wine and olives and olive oil from Greece to Egypt and grain from Egypt to Greece. - The changes in climate that would have caused crop losses and likely famine just before the Sea People’s appearance - The fact that during the Bronze Age (and even during the Classical Period) Greece could not feed itself without importing grain from Egypt. Egypt was known as the bread basket of the Mediterranean after all. - The fact that the vast majority of the Sea People were uncircumcised- in addition to cutting of hands for the body count the Egyptians cut off the phallus and kept detailed descriptions of whether the severed phalli were circumcised or not- Greeks would have been uncircumcised. - The fact that prior to the big battle with Ramses cities and lands from the Hittites all along the Levantine coast were being sacked. - The were said to be from the North and came by Sea on boats. - The remembrance in the Iliad and in Odysseus’s journeys in the Odyssey of general eastward and southward migration of Greek warriors and people. There may have a few more but these were most of the big ones that I can recall. My hypothesis was that we know that Greece needed to import food, we know that just prior to the Sea People’s appearance climate was changing, Mycenae and the Greek world was facing wars (maybe with invaders, maybe among itself, or maybe both) but had both famine and a political upheaval issues, we know that Greeks were getting fed by Egypt, we know that the destruction started in Asia Minor along the coast and along the Levantine coast prior to battle with Egypt, and we know that right around the time of Ramses battle with the Sea People the Philistines, who are Greeks, pop up settled in the Levant. We also have similarities of the armor and helmets from the drawings and vases, and this remembrance in Greek culture of a vast migration of warriors and people to Asia Minor and further south along the Levant in the Iliad and the Odyssey. So my hypothesis was that there was famine, war and turmoil in the Greek lands, that as a result people from different city-states got together at different times and went eastward and southward, either to migrate or get what they needed and bring home, that they started with the closest lands in Asia Minor and proceeded down the Levantine coast until ultimately coming to Egypt’s borders (it would make sense that if an inability to feed itself due to harvest disruptions from war and climate change and trade route interruptions, they would eventually go where they knew the food came from- Egypt) and having the battle with Ramses. Along the way, and particularly after the battle with Ramses, they either settled, or perhaps were encouraged to settle by Ramses as a sort of vassal buffer states, in Canaan and quickly commingled and became the Philistines. All of which is remembered in the Iliad and the Odyssey.

I think regarding the Sherdana/Sardinia connection, as well as the linguistic link, they've also found carved warrior figurines in Sardinia whose armour, in particular the distinctive horned helmets, match up with the Egyptian depictions of the Sherdana in the battle reliefs.

We know that Pharaons tended to embellish their achievements. Already Ramses II turned the battle of Kadesh, at best a draw and more likely a defeat, into a great victory in his account. Based on the fact that Egypt abandoned its belongings in Asia Minor and retreated beyond the Sinai after the battle, again, it's unlikely it had been more than a hard fought draw. The Sherden having settled Sardinia only after the battle is higly improbable. The Nuragic civilization doesn't show any significative break in 12th century BC, nor in pottery, burials, art, etc. The supposed invaders should have brought to the island nothing but their name.

I love the Sea People. I believe that the Shardana may really be the Sardinians. There's a lot of similarities between the iconography of Shardana in the Egyptian sources and the iconography of bronze statuettes of the Nuragic Civilization (horned helmets, same type of sword and more: the eponymous god Sardus wore a feathered hat)

It seems to me that the "Sea Peoples" were simply aggressive outsiders who took advantage of the weakened and fragile state of the Bronze Age societies of the eastern Mediterranean. An empire at the height of its power is unlikely to be toppled by "barbarians". It's much like how someone with a compromised immune system might die from an infection that would be a brief inconvenience for an otherwise healthy person. Yes, the infection killed them, but that's not the best explanation for why they died. I find it interesting to consider the similarities between the Bronze Age collapse and the end of the western Roman Empire.

11:50 Pigs bred by the Philistines also match that of European boars, not from near Eastern ones. Eric Cline's lectures in the Oriental Institute are awesome by the way.

It sounds the Sea Peoples could be more a symptom of the Bronze Age Collapse rather than a cause. Large scale migration due to the various factors (plague, famine, and apparently large scale earthquakes, according to some scholars) that caused the Collapse. Dissatisfaction among the migrants and the disadvantaged may have led to invasions and uprisings across the various city-states, already weakened by whatever natural disasters had preceded. With each major settlement loss, part of the economic web that sustained the cultural complexity of the region was lost, which led to further losses, etc. Eventually most of the major nations besides Egypt fell apart, to the point that, famously, technology like pottery and writing were lost or became much more simplistic across the Mediterranean.

There is archeological evidence that one group of the 'Sea Peoples' had come from the area of the Po River in Northern Italy. They had found evidence of widespread drought during the late Bronze Age, where many of the small villages had been abandoned and the few that weren't suffering from drought saw a large population boom. It is known that those people were actively trading with Sardinia, Sicily, and Greece at the time, so it is possible that some of the people that lived on or near the coast had decided to migrate to the Eastern Mediterranean after hearing about how bountiful the land was and how rich the people were.

Excellent analysis (as always). I tend to study Far Eastern history more than Middle Eastern, and your quote of Cline's hypothesis reminded me of another hypothesis about why the Mongol army had been so successful in the 13th Century. Western scholars tend to credit the Mongols with superior weapons, horses, armor, etc--things virtually all their defeated opponents had (and in greater quantities and quality). However Genghis Khan successfully united his neighboring tribes at the same time literally all the major civilizations around him were busy infighting and imploding. In fact, it appears many (if not most) of his "horde" was made up of soldiers (and their families) who joined the Mongol side rather than continue to support their previous masters. Back to your video, it would make perfect sense if many of these "Sea People" were locals who saw no future continuing to serve their current leaders, and switched to the "Sea People" side in an effort to get out of the perceived downward spiral that existed in their own culture/government.

Both History Time and The Histocrat have created documentaries breaking down who the Sea Peoples might have been as well, I love learning about this kind of investigative archaeology, keep up the good work :)

This topic is absolutely fascinating, I’ve seen several other videos about it, but this one might be my new favorite. Thank you very much and congratulations!

I've figured that a lot of Sea Peoples were likely Mykenaean in origin. Poems regarding the Trojan War frequently state that the Mykenaeans raided and plundered several other peoples, and that the plunder of Troy was insufficient, which caused more plundering of the surrounding areas as well as many turning to piracy. With the Hittites and Canaanites being allies of Troy, it isn't hard to imagine some members of the Mykenaean alliance turning their ire upon them for helping Troy drag out this war.

"Nifty feathered headgear" was my favourite part. The headgear looked Egyptian to me, but with feathers.

I absolutely adore learning more about this topic. I'm writing a fantasy novel, with the Bronze Age Collapse actually playing into the mythos. So the more I can learn on the subject, the better. And that you come at this from an Egyptian perspective as well? *chef's kiss*

There are details of armor, especially feathered and horned helmets correspond between the Egyptian depictions of the invaders, statuary and and engravings in Sardinia and Sicily. The Egyptian inscription also mentions their islands. So, there is some archaeological support for the idea that at least some of the "sea peoples" may have come from the western Mediterranean.

I always loved the name "Sea People" because it reminded me of some fantasy story when you have the "People of the Forest" or "The Nation of Light"

A Historical Perspective: 19 A D. Roman General Germanicus toured Egypt visiting the ancient site of Karnak-Luxor, which was already as old as many of the imperial Roman sites we visit today.

This is interesting but it only brings up a bigger mystery: What are Sea Monkeys?

I've seen dozens of videos about the sea peoples, and while I assume this won't be any different I just love RFB content so much Imma watch it.

Thanks for doing an episode on the Bronze Age Collapse! I appreciate your take on the subject. It's one of my favorite historical eras, and I hope we'll dig up more evidence in the future.

A little different from your usual content, but as I have a huge interest in Ancient history, this was excellently done! Thanks!

Another great video-as usual-and I have my Tuesday Morning History Lesson under my belt. Andrew always does a perfect job of Narration so easy to understand. I appreciate all his work on these video classes~!!

One thing I find interesting is that a substantial amount of the Mycaenean forces settling the Levant seem to have done so as a reaction to a similar societal collapse in their own homelands. The entire Bronze Age collapse seems to have been a chain reaction at multiple levels, both administrative and in terms of migration

"Hey, have you tried being stronger than you enemy?" - Thanks for the valuable advice, King Obvious I of Cyprus, that really helped a lot.

Absolutely in love with your content and way of presenting it. 10/10

It’s often useful to remember that anything left from ancient Egypt is literal state-religious propaganda. Immensely valuable but immensely biased. It’s like trusting the death counts in Caesars journal :D

It's always good to remember that just like the Bronze Age Mediterranean, our way of life is not certain to continue indefinitely. Especially these days. Parallels can be drawn RIGHT NOW, even if things are contextually different.

Absolutely brilliant discussion on this subject. Have watched many of these but the research behind this and information gleaned in only 17 minutes is by far the most I’ve learnt. That lightbulb moment that the so called sea peoples were probably the effect of an already occurring collapse and not so much the cause of it was inspiring and makes more sense… seems like everyone was migrating at the time for food and resources due to famine, plague etc, resulting in conflicts along the way. Bravo on a great scholarly piece.

"Sea people are coming!! Help!!" "Just be strong bro." Great advice. Maybe it meant ab ancient state equivalent of "switch to war economy"?

Science is careful, history is a science. Thanks Religion 4 Breakfast for your careful honesty.

Literally just searched for Sea People. My favorite channel releases a video 2 minutes ago. My eternal gratitude for the well of information.

Ramses: You know what they say, history is written by the victors! Sea Peoples: Written?

We most of us love a mystery and I love a good story. I have heard several historians and archaeologists speak on this topic Thank you for your clear and concise summary of the main points. I liked your maps as well.

This is the best video I’ve watched about them so far. Good work.

The bronze age just tickles the imagination like no other point in history!

You always do such a great job with these videos. Thank you for being so thorough. ❤

The best informational and concise video on the the "sea peoples". Thank you!

As someone who is hoping to go to grad school to study the LBA Collapse, I really appreciate you making this video

Awesome inclusion of archaeology! Fantastically narrated and illustrated and as usual your editing is 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Probably, maybe, possibly, the favorite words of Bronze Age scholars 🤣

Great presentation. Concise, well illustrated, well spoken. Very interesting. Thanks.

As always: such a great presentation!

Great job, Dr Henry 👏

Not only do I agree that the Philistines may of sprung from the Sea Peoples, but maybe also the Phonecians.

Very good presentation, well balanced, I do like Cline's work and feel he is probably more on the right track than most.

Great presentation! I enjoyed it very much. I'm glad we're unwrapping the scapegoating and looking deeper into the archaeological evidence of these peoples.

Excelente video. Este es uno de los temas más interesantes de la historia antigua. Una síntesis buenísima de un tópico muy complejo.

Most of our monuments and archaeological finds in Sardinia are from the bronze age, so it was probably our wealthiest age in ancient history not only because of commerce, many of those finds are "military" related

Thoughtful, balanced and informative. I am impressed.

Great break down! I can tell a lot of work, and research was behind this. Well explained. Well developed thoughts. Seriously really great video!

the late bronze age is my favorite time period, the sea peoples are my favorite historical anomaly, and religionforbreakfast is one of my favorite youtube channels! super stoked about this!!

great vid. i hope this turns into a playlist of similar topics

This channel never fails to be fascinating

4:57 Than you very much, Cyprus! That is a very useful advice!

Love the Bronze age coverage! I bet the Iliad is somewhat inspired by the Greek/Sardinian coalitions attacking the Hittite kingdom during this period.

According to a documentary I saw on TV a long time ago, a serious lead pollution problem occurred in the Northern Hemisphere as a result of Santorini's ancient undersea volcanic eruption. Perhaps the BBC documentary in the UK. At that time, Santorini had a Mediterranean international trade market, where lead was used as a weight.Those weight were vaporized by the heat of volcanic eruptions and spread to the northern hemisphere with volcanic ash. Then even in Ireland(?Iceland) and elsewhere, the growth of trees almost stopped for several years. People who deal with the collapse of the Bronze Age on RU-vid don't really mention this. Of course, there's dispute about the time of that eruption, but it's said that the trees didn't grow around 1500 bc, maybe. Before and after the Hyksos era, there were signs of eruptions of volcanos in Ethiopia, which could have caused pests and drought in Egypt. And I think this is important, after that disaster people around santorini stopped believing "old God". Sadly I cannot provide evidence now, but there should be, guess. ////// Although the cause of the sinking is unknown, a huge amount of copper was found on a ship that sank during that time. If the raw material of thousands of bronze swords was on its way to cities that were trying to arm themselves to survive in chaos, the cities that didn't get the copper would have been destroyed.(From "Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages")

Fast moving, informative video. Perfect.

Good Video. Boy as a retired Archaeologist living here in California, I sure wish there were symposiums or lectures around discussing topics like this. 🙂

@Epimetheus covered the Sea People extensively. Very worthwhile to watch.

I remember reading a paper a few years ago that was emphasizing how superficial the links between Phillistines and Aegean culture was and that it was just as plausible that they were canaanites who had absorbed a lot of cultural influence. I thought their argument was convincing but I’m alway thrilled to hear new information has come out and the link is now more concrete

Mother of Mothers, Mistress of Delights, Lady of the Stars... Hathor has always been my role model. Thank you for making a great video i can share with newbies.

A really great summary. Congrats!

Great video. More on BCE Sardinia and Mediterranean, please!

Speaking about the Philistines, can you please make a video about their religion? Who were their deities?

This is the best video I watched about the sea people, amazing work

Great Doc! Best Regards from Portugal ❤🇵🇹

So incredibly refreshing to watch an educational video which does more than just recite a Wikipedia article.

Eric Cline has a fantastic presentation on this topic found easily on RU-vid

I never get tired of hearing this stuff

In my ancient bronze age history class in college I actually attempted to write a research paper aboit the sea peoples but quickly realized my university just didn't have enough sources to do so. All our data bases only had a couple of references. Very fascinating topic that really shows how sometimes, with history, we just don't know.

Climate change was the leading cause for so many civilizations collapsing at once. Economic failure in an agrarian society would hit hard, purchasing power disappears and famine strikes. This would cause large migrations pushing people into already occupied territories (which in themselves are experiencing the same thing). This leads to reoccurring wars as people are fighting over the same resources. What part is missing in the video (if there is information available) is how the far western parts of the Mediterranean were coping (consistent crop failures). Typically roving bands of marauders should not be able to defeat established empires that themselves are founded on conquest. Economic failure caused by low food production is probably the root of the Bronze Age Collapse.

I attended UC Santa Cruz c.1976 and took classes in "Greek history, myth, etc" every quarter but got a psych degree. The "maybe, possibly, could indicate...." has not changed

Considering the brevity of the video, the scope of the subject matter, very nice.

Genetic studies have shown that the early Philistines match quite well with the genetics of Mycenean Greeks, while later Philistines are almost indistinguishable from Canaanites, having assimilated and diluted the Greek element in both culture and genetics. I think we can broadly assume that most if not all of the other Sea Peoples came from the Aegean. Whether they were Greek-speaking or Anatolian-speaking initially is up for debate. We can try to extract Lycian from Lukka or Dannan (one of the names used to refer to Greeks in the Homeric epics) from Denyen, but without strong evidence and other independent sources we simply cannot be sure. I personally believe that we actually have a first hand account of the Sea Peoples told from their own perspective, and it's an epic poem called "The Illiad", written about 400 years after the events, and which seems to have echoes of a collective memory from the Mycenean Greek era.

Would you ever consider doing a video on the Cathars? Or recommend any particular viewing/reading on the topic?

I’ve always wondered if the Vikings were also a lot more mellow, and we just think they were brutal and relentless because they didn’t write about themselves.

Philistines where primarily from post-Minoan Crete and the surrounding islands. The migration around East Mediterranean Sea started after the Minoan Eruption of modern Santorini.

Marvelous work, succinct!!

this is so fascinating!

Great video. You explain it very well. I enjoy your content on the ancient world. I studied ancient history in college. TFS. Have you read the novel The Black Ships, by Jo Graham? It tells this very tale, the Bronze Age Collapse, through the aftermath of the Trojan War. I love fiction about the Bronze Age.

I went to the Medinet Habu Temple and at the time I was told the temple’s design was based on a Near East fortress. The main pylon really is unlike other temples. The temple is full of war scenes: the mutilated hands you mentioned, and also decapitaded heads, and taking captives for slavery. I didn’t notice that in other temples. I feel like that period of Egyptian history might have been one of the most brutal in terms of war.

Excellent work!

The human geographical motivations that led to the Sea Peoples' migration likely also had an impact on the large civilizations

Shardana warriors also display some weapons and helmets similar to iron age warriors from Sardinia. But, like you said they could have settled there after the collapse.

I like to imagine that their identity was lost in the Library of Alexandria, but I’m not sure if there’s anything to that

Absolutely outstanding narrator!

A soulslike game taking place during the Bronze Age collapse would be a gold mine.

I know that people theorized that they could be the Philistines. Since the Philistines originated on the islands off the coast of Greece.

Nice summary!

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

This is a good historical example of correlation not being causation. The relationship between the invasion of the sea people and the bronze age collapse are not simple causation. They could be reversed, both caused by other factors, or entirely coincidence! Data inconclusive.

Awesome information and wonderful work. This topic has always fascinated me since I studied a little bit of this for a book character background. Thanks!

Great job!!!!!!! keep doing it. I want more

Great editing and pleasant presentation

Really interesting, not exactly a video about religion. But these are the great geopolitical changes that shape the way peoples saw and interact with their societies, history and civilizations overall.

I believe they were the people called "Philistines" in the Bible. The last nation of these people was Carthage which was destroyed by Rome. The peculiar headresses seen in the artwork, may be limed hair, to make them look bigger and more threatening to their adversaries. Some German and Celtics warriors did this as well, and may have picked up the idea from Hannibal when he came at Rome with his elephants, through the Alps. There is also a common God here. The Philistines worshiped several: Dagon was the principle Philistines God in the Middle East, but, as I recall, Baal, was also mentioned. Baal was a main deity of Carthage whom Hanni-Baal, was named for. Germania tribes worshipped Wotan, Tiw and Donar, but you find references here and there of Bel, God of fire, which might be a corruption of Baal. Bel is principle a Celtics God, and at that time, Celts ruled Gaul, some parts of Britain and Ireland. All of these were potential markets for the Sea Peoples.

This reminds me of the Viking incursions in the early medieval period up until they conquered Britain and Sicily. Having boats and logistics of such venture to travel and attack far away from home indicates for me a culture right on par with the other civilizations around the Mediterranean Sea.