What happened to the Bronze Age civilizations?
1150 BCE, major cities were destroyed, whole civilizations fell, diplomatic and trade relations were severed, writing systems vanished, and there was widespread devastation and death on a scale never experienced before.
What was a major change during the Bronze Age and ancient times?
During the Bronze Age (about 3,000 B.C. to 1,300 B.C.), metalworking advances were made, as bronze, a copper and tin alloy, was discovered. Now used for weapons and tools, the harder metal replaced its stone predecessors, and helped spark innovations including the ox-drawn plow and the wheel.
How did humans discover bronze?
One theory suggests that bronze may have been discovered when copper and tin-rich rocks were used to build campfire rings. As the stones became heated by the fire, the metals contained in the rocks were melted and mixed. It is thought that Bronze properly appeared in the region around 3000 BC.
What important events took place in the Bronze Age?
Bronze tools and weapons soon replaced earlier stone versions. Ancient Sumerians in the Middle East may have been the first people to enter the Bronze Age. Humans made many technological advances during the Bronze Age, including the first writing systems and the invention of the wheel.
Why did the Bronze Age collapse occur?
Historian Robert Drews in his book The End of the Bronze Age has on his list of possible causes of the collapse the following: earthquakes, mass migrations, ironworking, drought, systems collapse, raiders and changes in warfare.
What happened in the Late Bronze Age?
The late Bronze Age saw a wave of highly developed civilizations decline and collapse quite suddenly, between around 1200 – 1150 BCE. Several early writing systems vanished, in what is sometimes referred to as the world’s first dark age, and many regions would take centuries to recover.
What are the three phases of the Bronze Age in Europe?
The Bronze Age in the Near East can be conveniently divided into Early, Middle and Late periods. The dates and phases below are solely applicable to the Near East and thus not applicable universally. The Hittite Empire was established in Hattusa in northern Anatolia from the 18th century BC.
When did the Bronze Age start and end in Mesopotamia?
In Mesopotamia, the Mesopotamian Bronze Age began about 3500 BC and ended with the Kassite period (c. 1500 BC – c. 1155 BC). The usual tripartite division into an Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age is not used.
What is the difference between Bronze Age and Iron Age?
Worldwide, the Bronze Age generally followed the Neolithic period, with the Chalcolithic serving as a transition. Although the Iron Age generally followed the Bronze Age, in some areas (such as Sub-Saharan Africa), the Iron Age began as early as 2500 BC.