1200 BC
Late Bronze Age collapse
The Late Bronze Age collapse fragmented palace economies across the eastern Mediterranean.
- Time period
- 1200 BC
- Region
- Eastern Mediterranean
- Theme
- Politics
- Civilization
- Bronze Age
Around 1200 BC, major political and economic systems across the eastern Mediterranean suffered severe disruption. Palace economies in Mycenaean Greece, the Aegean, and Anatolia disintegrated, while the Hittite Empire collapsed. Warfare, drought, migration, and disrupted trade are proposed explanations, although their relative importance remains debated. In Greece, smaller communities characterized the ensuing Dark Ages, lasting roughly until 800 BC before the Archaic Age (source).