Collapse of the Bronze Age : The Story of Greece, Troy, Israel, Egypt, and the Peoples of the Sea

Rating:
Summary: Very Readable!
Review: Although this is a history book with lots of names and dates,it is written in a flowing style and comes together nicely. There is no stilted language here. Combing through a massive amount of research material, Robbins has consolidated the information. He then makes educated conclusions about the events leading up to the collapse of mighty civilizations such as Troy, Egypt, Greece, the Hittites and others. People tend to think the Bronze Age ended when the ancients developed hotter fires and iron could be smelted, resulting in better tools or weapons. Wrong! There were cataclysmic internal and external forces working on the civilizations, resulting in their demise or diminution. Humor is sprinkled throughout the book, enhancing the pleasure of reading it. Some of the author's conclusions such as the reasons for the decline of Mycenaean Greece and the origin of the people of Israel are controversial or even counter to some current beliefs. However these conclusions are so well reasoned that they are difficult to dispute. Combining fragmentary written historical accounts,archaeological artifacts, language analysis, myths/legends, oral transmission of history, and other methods Robbins has written a fascinating account.

Rating:
Summary: This is the one.
Review: Exhaustive, complete, and clear-eyed. This is the one for an excellent overview of all the conflicting theories concerning the Sea Peoples and the collapse of the region's civilizations. Robbins has no axe to grind, and no simple answers, but follows the evidence to his conclusions, rather than trying to squeeze facts so they fit into a preconceived idea.