79-171 Pharaohs and Phoenicians: Flourishing, Collapse, and Recovery in the Bronze Age
6 units, Carnegie Mellon University
Espionage, international trade, great-power diplomacy, unprecedented wealth, marriage alliances . . . all of these characterized the Bronze Age Mediterranean world, until it all came crumbling down. The Bronze Age Mediterranean was a peak of ancient civilization that collapsed almost completely after a stunning, and sometimes mysterious, series of crises. History has remembered a "dark age" in the wake of this collapse, yet newer evidence reinforces the pockets of resilience shining through the aftermath, and developments from this time are still visible within global society to this day. This course will introduce students to the major Bronze Age and early Iron Age Mediterranean civilizations and their interactions with one another. These will include the Egyptians, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Phoenicians, and some of the smaller groups in the Levant. Students will gain an understanding of the factors that allowed these civilizations to flourish, the factors that led to their collapse, and the factors that helped some to rebuild and even thrive once more. We will cover various cultural aspects and examine the evidence—archaeological, documentary, linguistic, etc.—by which historians have reconstructed our understanding of this period.
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Spring 2027, Spring 2026
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