Your paper must be 4 pages in length. It must be double-spaced, typed, using 12-pt, Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. There is no need for you to take half of the first page with a double-spaced name, class, and date. The thesis of your paper should be a direct answer to the following prompt: The Year Civilization Collapsed uses 1177 B.C. as the climax of a series of events that temporarily interrupted globalization in the Mediterranean world. In that year, marauding groups known as the “Sea Peoples” invaded Egypt. The resulting battle so weakened Egypt that it slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of vibrance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Regional powers like the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Trojans, Hittites, and Babylonians fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. 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. In telling this story, Eric Cline re-examines the explanation used by historians for the collapse of the Mediterranean Bronze Age – that it was the result of repeated invasions by the Sea Peoples. He argues that decline of these civilizations can not be explained through military factors alone. Economic, cultural, diplomatic, and environmental factors must also be taken into account in order to understand this turning point in human history. For this assignment, write an essay that answers the following questions: 1) What happens when a civilization ‘collapses’? Give specific examples from civilizations of the Mediterranean Bronze Age World. 2) What other factors (besides the Sea Peoples) are responsible for the collapse of these civilizations? In answering the question, you must create an argument that is supported exclusively by evidence from that book. The paper must be uploaded to Blackboard by the date listed in the syllabus. Additional points: – Remember that an argument is different from a statement. – This is not a book review. Do not simply summarize the story. – Examples provided must support your basic argument. – Provide citations using the correct format, (Cline, 29). – No bibliography or footnotes are necessary. – Use only the assigned reading as evidence for your paper. Do not use outside sources1177 BC Year Civilization Collapsed222
