In this gripping sequel to his bestselling 1177 B.C. Eric Cline tells the story of what
happened after the Bronze Age collapsed—why some civilizations endured why some gave way to
new ones and why some disappeared forever “A landmark book: lucid deep and insightful. . .
. You cannot understand human civilization and self-organization without studying what happened
on before and after 1177 B.C.”—Nassim Nicholas Taleb bestselling author of The Black Swan
At the end of the acclaimed history 1177 B.C. many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of
the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean lay in ruins undone by invasion revolt natural
disasters famine and the demise of international trade. An interconnected world that had
boasted major empires and societies relative peace robust commerce and monumental
architecture was lost and the so-called First Dark Age had begun. Now in After 1177 B.C.
Eric Cline tells the compelling story of what happened next over four centuries across the
Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean world. It is a story of resilience transformation and
success as well as failures in an age of chaos and reconfiguration. After 1177 B.C. tells
how the collapse of powerful Late Bronze Age civilizations created new circumstances to which
people and societies had to adapt. Those that failed to adjust disappeared from the world stage
while others transformed themselves resulting in a new world order that included Phoenicians
Philistines Israelites Neo-Hittites Neo-Assyrians and Neo-Babylonians. Taking the story up
to the resurgence of Greece marked by the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. the book also
describes how world-changing innovations such as the use of iron and the alphabet emerged amid
the chaos. Filled with lessons for today's world about why some societies survive massive
shocks while others do not After 1177 B.C. reveals why this period far from being the First
Dark Age was a new age with new inventions and new opportunities.
