The other causes of the Bronze Age Collapse created widespread piracy
The Bronze Age collapse can be attributed to climate change, famine, earthquakes, economic difficulties, internal military struggles, and banditry. The Sea people were likely raiders. They were victims of the collapse rather than its principle cause.
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The Argument
Famine, earthquakes, economic disasters, and war all led to an unstable world in the Late Bronze Age. Attributing the collapse to “Sea People” on the basis of several small inscriptions is a mistake. The raiders in Egypt were probably taking advantage of the chaos caused by other factors.[1]
Inland empires, such as Elam, Assyria, and Kassite Babylonia were all affected by the collapse, not just maritime empires. The Bronze Age world of the Mediterranean was highly interconnected both socially and economically and events in one place had serious repercussions in others. Attributing all the trouble in this period to one group of unidentifiable raiders is an oversimplification with little supporting evidence. [2]
Widespread famine caused by climate change in this period is one possible contributor to the collapse. It is likely that famine caused mass migrations and destabilized states. Devastating earthquakes in this period appear to have destroyed some cities. The disruption of trade, particularly of tin is a possible economic factor. Egyptian sources also record internal rebellions at this time between laborers and the Imperial regime. This series of events created a perfect storm that caused a dark age. [3]The Sea People are just one small factor, probably pushed by these difficult conditions into piracy in a similar manner to the Vikings in another later dark age. They are unlikely to be an actual organized group, the Sea People inscriptions simply prove that many people in this period resorted to banditry to survive.
Claims that one group sacked many civilizations are built on scant evidence, the existence of seaborne raiders simply proves that the wider economic and societal problems caused conflict and led to banditry. There is a lot of evidence for widespread and complex problems in this period that contributed to the Bronze Age Collapse.
Counter arguments
Theories about mass famine have never been confirmed. The evidence used to prove there was an Anatolian famine is based on texts which report grain shipments sent from Egypt to Anatolia. This may just indicate a system of trade rather than an actual famine.[4]
Earthquakes are a constant of Mediterranean history, it has not be proved that there was an especially devastating earthquake in this period.[5]
None of the present explanations for the Bronze Age Collapse have actual concrete evidence and are just theories. On the other hand, there is written evidence of invaders in Syria, Egypt, and the Hittite Empire. There is also written evidence of widespread Greek piracy in Homer. An invasion from a powerful group of seaborne raiders is the best explanation for the Bronze Age Collapse.
Claims of famine, earthquakes, and internal rebellion have not yet been proved conclusively. There is strong evidence for invading forces. An alliance of Sea People remains the best explanation for the Bronze Age Collapse.
Proponents
Premises
[P1] The causes of the Bronze Age Collapse are many and complex.
[P2] The Sea People were likely affected by widespread societal changes.
[C] The collapse caused banditry. The Sea People did not cause the collapse.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] No one theory about the Bronze Age collapse has ever been proven.
References
- https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/1177_B_C.html?id=39qIngEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
- https://www.ancient.eu/article/1446/interview-the-mysterious-bronze-age-collapse-with/
- https://www.ancient.eu/Bronze_Age_Collapse/
- https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Making_of_the_Middle_Sea.html?id=EugZmwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
- https://www.ancient.eu/Bronze_Age_Collapse/#:~:text=The%20Bronze%20Age%20Collapse%20(also,the%2013th%2D12th%20centuries%20BCE.