How societies thrived, survived or died when the Bronze Age ended.

The article discusses the Late Bronze Age collapse, a period of calamities that affected civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East around 3,200 years ago. The collapse was not uniform, with some societies vanishing while others rebounded or experienced a decline in power. The author, Eric H. Cline, explores how different societies responded to the tumultuous times and highlights the lessons that can be learned from their experiences. The article also mentions the success stories of societies that flourished after the collapse, such as the Phoenicians and the people of Cyprus. Resilient societies were characterized by contingency plans, strong defenses, reliable water resources, and a content working class. However, other societies exposed weaknesses that ranged from manageable to fatal. The article concludes by acknowledging the difficulty of predicting the future of our own civilization in the face of modern threats. [Extracted from the article]