First Glance

The sudden chaotic end of the Late Bronze Age—marked by widespread destruction, social upheaval and cultural decline—has eluded explanation. Scholars have speculated that a series of invasions by northern barbarians, a breakdown of trade, or overly centralized economies, among other things, may have caused the upheaval. Something much more basic may lie at the bottom of this mystery, however. In “Climate and Collapse,” William H. Stiebing, Jr., examines the growing body of evidence that arid weather between 1300 and 1000 B.C.E. explains the sudden decline or collapse of nearly every ancient civilization in the Near East at the end of the Bronze Age. But even this lack of clouds contains a silver lining: The decline of Bronze Age civilizations allowed the subsequent emergence of biblical Israel and classical Greek culture.

Stiebing is professor of history at the University of New Orleans and earned his Ph.D. in ancient history and archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Ancient Astronauts, Cosmic Collisions, and Other Popular Theories About Man’s Past (Prometheus, 1984) and Uncovering the Past: A History of Archaeology (Prometheus, 1993). A soloist in his church choir, Stiebing frequently participates in local productions of Broadway musicals, performing roles such as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and Daddy Warbucks in Annie.