The Coming of the Sea Peoples: The Trojan War in the context of Mycenaean Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age

What is the course about?

The purpose of this course is to explore these civilisations and the nature of their fall. Who were these mysterious "Sea People"? Why did this world came to a sudden and probably simultaneous end? What caused this? Was it climate change or disease? Was it the impact of war or internal struggle?

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

1. The Trojan War as Known to the Greeks and until the 19th Century
2. Egypt: From the Mists of Time to the Akhenaten Revolution and the Great Reaction
3. Babylon and Its Many Waters
4. The Hittites and the Coming of the Indo-Europeans
5. Crete and Mycenae
6. Economy and Trade in the Bronze Age: Polanyi v Morris Silver
7. The Collapse: An Overview
8. Complexity and the Nature of the Hydraulic Civilisation
9. Evidence for Climate Change in the Late Bronze Age
10. Who Were the “Sea Peoples”?
11. What Happened Next?

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- have some understanding – perfect understanding is not and cannot be on offer! – of the Trojan War in the context of later Greek speculation and in its own terms
- have a grasp of the great powers of the Bronze Age, and
- have some understanding of the coming of the “Sea Peoples.”.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

No particular skills required. The course will be taught assuming no or little knowledge of the subject.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The class will be taught on-line by a combination of lectures and student presentations. All necessary research will be in English and on-line. Students will be expected to do some reading between classes.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

No. Electronic copies of most material will be made available via Google Classroom. But, for those who are interested in reading further, these books are a good start:
Cline, Eric H., 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, 2015
Polanyi Karl, The Limits of the Market, 2010
Silver, Morris, Economic Structures of Antiquity, 1995
Tainter, Joseph A., The Collapse of Complex Societies, 1990
Wittfogel, Karl., Oriental Despotism: A Comparative Study of Total Power, 1957.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Why not investigate our Summer School for courses on the Ancient World and longer courses from September.