The Sea Peoples: Warriors of the Ancient Mediterranean, 1250-1150 B.C.

Frankly, I knew very little about the Late Bronze Age world until I took a class on it. But the Bronze Age is not something you can understand in a semester. And, sometimes the teacher isn't enough and you need that one go-to book that can help cover the gaps and explain it better. As my class was learning about the final stages of the LB Age, the discussion on what happened to the Mycenaean civilization and the Sea Peoples came up. My teacher was vague and not at all to the point about who they were and what they were all about. And she had trouble showing the Mycenaean connection with other parts of the Mediterranean and Near Eastern Kingdoms, specifically the Egyptians and the Hittites, which was a very important fact, as I learned later. Very confusing. After searching for something manageable, I found this wonderful resource which presents the entire Late Bronze age period into clear focus. Sandars tells you right away, clearly, in the first few pages what the goal of the book is about and its goals and she never strays. Then she develops a picture of the LB world beginning from the first few chapters which includes an environmental point of view, then an economical one and then political connections of the whole LB world. She then delves into the records of the Egyptians and Hittites that show the complexities of Sea Peoples and connects them, I think logically, with the survivors from the Aegean. There are a lot of images of the Egyptian records and translations of the documents. There are captains that describe everything, but it's not always clear how she came to the conclusion. There a few maps that show routes of migration and trade, as well as an Appendix of charts. Some of the charts show range of certain items found in one site to show migration patterns of Mycenaeans and its possible connection to the Sea Peoples. I must warn you though, that despite it's thoroughness and insight, it is meant for someone who has a firm understanding of the Bronze Age in general, and a better understanding of the Late Bronze Age. It is organized well but you can't read it out of order because she builds from the first chapter and keeps adding and makes references from early pages without explaining. Time frame is also very important, especially Greek Mainland (Helladic) and Egyptian chronology. As well as Archeology (especially dating objects especially pottery). She does not give a breath for explaining about time frames, that is, what LH IIIB means with year 8 of the reign of Ramesses or how archaeologists determined x pottery piece is from this period and originally made in y site. I am not as familiar with Egypt as I am with the Aegean, so those parts could get tricky, but I was able to work it out and I was better for it. After Chapter 4, it gets very detailed and specific about the makeup of the Sea Peoples and their activities through out the Near East; but she explains things very well, to the point and presents the evidence in an org