³1username³2JoshuaGrosse³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2980153433³2ip³2129.97.130.6³2data³2newauthor³31³3minor³30³3text³3Around 2000-1600 BC new groups started appearing around the peripheries of civilization.  These are associated with bronze (copper+tin) implements, chariot archers, warrior nobilities, and generally speaking IndoEuropean languages.  They probably fanned out from a homeland around the CaspianSea.  Around the end of the period this process intensified, and most of the older civilizations were overrun.

In the west, the first Greeks - the Achaeans - entered the country and founded the MycenaeanCivilization.  This was partially derivative from the older MinoanCivilization on Crete, but soon came to dominate it.  Further west, various groups - mostly notably the CelticPeoples - spread over Europe, almost entirely displacing the original cultures.

In the east, various Iranian groups appeared.  These include the nomadic Scythians, the Kassites who conquered Babylonia, the Mitanni who pushed the Hurrians into northern Mesopotamia, and the IndoAryans who destroyed the civilization of Harappa.  At around the same time the semitic Hyskos overran Egypt, though they were ejected soon after.  In these last few cases the IndoEuropean nobility were minorities ruling over a predominantly foreign people.

Around this time, too, the first civilization in China - the ShangDynasty - appears.  This probably was influenced by yet another group of IE migrants, the Tocharians, but not enough work has been done to confirm this hypothesis.

Around 1200 BC most of the bronze age kingdoms collapsed and urban centers all across the eastern meditteranean were sacked by raiders, all within a few decades.  The following few centuries were dark ages for Greece and the Near East.  By the time civilization had recovered, iron tools had become common, and a new era had begun.
³3summary³3Brief summary³2tscreate³2980153433³2keepts³2980154140³2id³21076³2host³2cnts3p06.uwaterloo.ca³2revision³21³1username³2JoshuaGrosse³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2980154140³2ip³2129.97.130.6³2data³2text³3Around 2000-1600 BC new groups started appearing around the peripheries of civilization.  These are associated with bronze (copper+tin) implements, chariot archers, warrior nobilities, and generally speaking IndoEuropean languages.  They probably fanned out from a homeland around the CaspianSea.  Around the end of the period this process intensified, and most of the older civilizations were overrun.

In the west, the first Greeks - the Achaeans - entered the country and founded the MycenaeanCivilization.  This was partially derivative from the older MinoanCivilization on Crete, but soon came to dominate it.  Further west, various groups - mostly notably the CelticPeoples - spread over Europe, almost entirely displacing the original cultures.

Various Iranian groups appeared across the MiddleEast, including the nomadic Scythians, the Kassites who conquered Babylonia, the Mitanni who pushed the Hurrians into northern Mesopotamia, and the IndoAryans who destroyed the civilization of Harappa.  The HittiteKingdom was established in Anatolia (modern Tukey), and the semitic Hyskos adopted the new technology and overran Egypt, though they were ejected soon after.  

Around this time, too, the first civilization in China - the ShangDynasty - appears.  This probably was influenced by yet another group of IE migrants, the Tocharians, but not enough work has been done to confirm this hypothesis.

Around 1200 BC most of the bronze age kingdoms collapsed and urban centers all across the eastern meditteranean were sacked by raiders, all within a few decades.  The following few centuries were dark ages for Greece and the Near East.  By the time civilization had recovered, iron tools had become common, and a new era had begun.
³3minor³31³3newauthor³30³3summary³3³2tscreate³2980153433³2keepts³2980494347³2id³21076³2host³2cnts3p06.uwaterloo.ca³2revision³22³1username³2JoshuaGrosse³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2980494347³2ip³2129.97.130.42³2data³2newauthor³30³3minor³31³3text³3Around 2000-1800 BC various new groups started appearing all around the periphery of civilization, armed with powerful new technologies: bronze implements, horses, and the light two-wheeled chariot.  These weapons were used to good advantage, and by around 1600 BC all the older civilization centers had been overrun.

Of particular importance were the Iranian groups who spread off the plateau into neighboring regions.  The KassitePeoples conquered Babylonia and the IndoAryans more or less annihilated the declining foreign civilization they found in the IndusValley.  A related group, the Mitanni, set up a kingdom over much of Syria and Assyria.

Egypt was temporarily occupied by the Semitic Hyskos, but these were ejected and the NewKingdomOfEgypt - its first empire - grew up in their wake.  The HittitePeoples also developed into an empire at this time.  All of these were continually at war for domination of the middle east.

Horses and chariots require a lot of time and upkeep, and so their use was restricted mainly to warrior nobilities.  These are the feudal "heroic" societies vaguely familiar to us from epics like the ''Iliad'' and ''Ramayana''.  They are often associated with IndoEuropean languages, which probably spread out from a homeland on the caspian sea along with bronze working.


Around 1200 BC most of the bronze age kingdoms collapsed and urban centers all across the eastern meditteranean were sacked by raiders, all within a few decades.  The following few centuries were dark ages for Greece and the Near East.  By the time civilization had recovered, iron tools had become common, and a new era had begun.
³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2980153433³2keepts³2980495332³2id³21076³2host³2cnts3p42.uwaterloo.ca³2revision³23³1username³2JoshuaGrosse³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2980495332³2ip³2129.97.130.42³2data³2text³3Around 2000-1800 BC various new groups started appearing all around the periphery of civilization, armed with powerful new technologies: bronze implements, horses, and the light two-wheeled chariot.  These weapons were used to good advantage, and by around 1600 BC all the older civilization centers had been overrun.

Egypt was temporarily occupied by the Semitic Hyskos, but these were ejected and the NewKingdomOfEgypt - its first empire - grew up in their wake.  Babylonia was conquered by the KassitePeoples, and the IndoAryans more or less annihilated the civilization they found in the IndusValley.  A related group, the Mitanni, set up a kingdom over much of Syria and Assyria.

Some of these groups also spread to new areas, e.g. the CelticPeoples.  Greece was overrun by the AchaeanPeoples, who set up the first Greek-speaking kingdoms (notably Mycenae) and came to dominate the older MinoanPeoples.  The first civilization in China, the ShangDynasty, may have developed under the influence of the TocharianPeoples who spread eastward.

Horses and chariots require a lot of time and upkeep, and so their use was restricted mainly to warrior nobilities.  These are the feudal "heroic" societies vaguely familiar to us from epics like the ''Iliad'' and ''Ramayana''.  They are often associated with IndoEuropean languages, which probably spread out from a homeland on the caspian sea along with bronze working.

Around 1200 BC ''something'' happened that dramatically shifted power away from these kingdoms.  Within a few decades city centers all around the eastern Meditteranean were sacked and the kingdoms swept away.  Only Egypt, power broken, and Assyria escaped destruction.  This issues in a dark age for the west, and by the time civilization had recovered, the iron age had begun.
³3minor³31³3newauthor³30³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2980153433³2keepts³2980498420³2id³21076³2host³2cnts3p42.uwaterloo.ca³2revision³24³1username³2JoshuaGrosse³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2980498420³2ip³2129.97.130.42³2data³2newauthor³30³3minor³31³3text³3Around 2000-1800 BC various new groups started appearing all around the periphery of civilization, armed with powerful new technologies: bronze implements, horses, and the light two-wheeled chariot.  These weapons were used to good advantage, and by around 1600 BC all the older civilization centers had been overrun.

Egypt was temporarily occupied by the Semitic Hyskos, but these were ejected and the NewKingdomOfEgypt - its first empire - grew up in their wake.  Babylonia was conquered by the KassitePeoples, and the IndoAryans more or less annihilated the civilization they found in the IndusValley.  A related group, the Mitanni, set up a kingdom over much of Syria and Assyria.

Some of these groups also spread to new areas, e.g. the CelticPeoples.  Greece was overrun by the AchaeanPeoples, who set up the first Greek-speaking kingdoms (notably Mycenae) and came to dominate the older MinoanPeoples.  The first civilization in China, the ShangDynasty, may have developed under the influence of the TocharianPeoples who spread eastward.

Horses and chariots require a lot of time and upkeep, and so their use was restricted mainly to warrior nobilities.  These are the feudal "heroic" societies vaguely familiar to us from epics like the ''Iliad'' and ''Ramayana''.  They are often associated with IndoEuropean languages, which probably spread out from a homeland on the caspian sea along with bronze working.

Around 1200 BC ''something'' happened that dramatically shifted power away from these kingdoms.  Within a few decades city centers all around the eastern Meditteranean were sacked and the kingdoms swept away.  Only Egypt, power broken, and Assyria escaped destruction.  This issues in a dark age for the west, and by the time civilization had recovered, the iron age had begun.
----
See also: CopperAge, IronAge
³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2980153433³2keepts³2980688792³2id³21076³2host³2cnts3p42.uwaterloo.ca³2revision³25³1username³2JoshuaGrosse³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2980688792³2ip³2129.97.182.69³2data³2text³3Around 2000-1800 BC various new groups started appearing all around the periphery of civilization, armed with powerful new technologies: bronze implements, horses, and the light two-wheeled chariot.  These weapons were used to good advantage, and by around 1600 BC all the older civilization centers had been overrun.

Egypt was temporarily occupied by the Semitic Hyskos, but these were ejected and the NewKingdomOfEgypt - its first empire - grew up in their wake.  Babylonia was conquered by the KassitePeoples, and the IndoAryans more or less annihilated the civilization they found in the IndusValley.  A related group, the Mitanni, set up a kingdom over much of Syria and Assyria.

Some of these groups also spread to new areas, e.g. the CelticPeoples.  Greece was overrun by the AchaeanPeoples, who set up the first Greek-speaking kingdoms (notably Mycenae) and came to dominate the older MinoanPeoples.  The first civilization in China, the ShangDynasty, may have developed under the influence of the TocharianPeoples who spread eastward.

Horses and chariots require a lot of time and upkeep, and so their use was restricted mainly to warrior nobilities.  These are the feudal "heroic" societies vaguely familiar to us from epics like TheIliad and the ''Ramayana''.  They are often associated with IndoEuropean languages, which probably spread out from a homeland on the caspian sea along with bronze working.

Around 1200 BC ''something'' happened that dramatically shifted power away from these kingdoms.  Within a few decades city centers all around the eastern Meditteranean were sacked and the kingdoms swept away.  Only Egypt, power broken, and Assyria escaped destruction.  This issues in a dark age for the west, and by the time civilization had recovered, the iron age had begun.
----
See also: CopperAge, IronAge
³3minor³31³3newauthor³30³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2980153433³2keepts³2980846208³2id³21076³2host³2cnts2p69.uwaterloo.ca³2revision³26³1username³2³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2980846208³2ip³2129.97.204.28³2data³2newauthor³31³3minor³30³3text³3''Author's note - this page was written with the idea that bronze was introduced by various chariot-peoples, who are separate from the migrants of 2000.  I don't know where I got this idea, but I would like a chance to refactor the page to make things more correct.''

Around 2000-1800 BC various new groups started appearing all around the periphery of civilization, armed with powerful new technologies: bronze implements, horses, and the light two-wheeled chariot.  These weapons were used to good advantage, and by around 1600 BC all the older civilization centers had been overrun.

Egypt was temporarily occupied by the Semitic Hyskos, but these were ejected and the NewKingdomOfEgypt - its first empire - grew up in their wake.  Babylonia was conquered by the KassitePeoples, and the IndoAryans more or less annihilated the civilization they found in the IndusValley.  A related group, the Mitanni, set up a kingdom over much of Syria and Assyria.

Some of these groups also spread to new areas, e.g. the CelticPeoples.  Greece was overrun by the AchaeanPeoples, who set up the first Greek-speaking kingdoms (notably Mycenae) and came to dominate the older MinoanPeoples.  The first civilization in China, the ShangDynasty, may have developed under the influence of the TocharianPeoples who spread eastward.

Horses and chariots require a lot of time and upkeep, and so their use was restricted mainly to warrior nobilities.  These are the feudal "heroic" societies vaguely familiar to us from epics like TheIliad and the ''Ramayana''.  They are often associated with IndoEuropean languages, which probably spread out from a homeland on the caspian sea along with bronze working.

Around 1200 BC ''something'' happened that dramatically shifted power away from these kingdoms.  Within a few decades city centers all around the eastern Meditteranean were sacked and the kingdoms swept away.  Only Egypt, power broken, and Assyria escaped destruction.  This issues in a dark age for the west, and by the time civilization had recovered, the iron age had begun.
----
See also: CopperAge, IronAge
³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2980153433³2keepts³2980903357³2id³2111³2host³2rees.math.uwaterloo.ca³2revision³27