LATE BRONZE AGE M.E

Late Bronze Age?

Okay, Egypt was doing remarkably well during that time. Leading up to the Bronze Age collapse - which I assume you know about - the Egyptians were leading campaigns in the Levant. Philistines were allowed to resettle in what we call Israel/Palestine today. Their communities provided fish and wool to larger Egyptian markets. I'm unaware if they took part in the Egyptian army when the Collapse occurred, but I do know that the people in that region went from coastal and lowland dwellers to living in small or nomadic communities in the hills and mountains. The culture adapted to the changes.

The Egyptians were pressing their front against the Hittites in what we know as Syria and Lebanon today. The war got extremely bloody as technology pushed warfare out of the standard infantry blocks bumping into one another until one side gave. Chariots became a heavy shock weapon that could utterly smash an army's front line, while warriors wielding swords both longer and better - as casting became the preferred method at this point in the Bronze age. The fighting culminated in a very famous battle near the city of Kadesh. The city was a neat trade hub that both sides claimed hegemony over.

The new, heavy chariots on both sides produced a magnificent account from both sides. Infantry and cavalry combat swiftly followed and produced a massive amount of bodies. We know the two sides got tired of the fighting. Ramesses II of Egypt (a real dope ass nigga, as the kids would say) and Muwatalli II of the Hittite Empire led their respective armies and allied tribes in the diplomacy. The treaty is pretty well preserved by both sides. A piece from it reads: "Reamases a, the great king, the king of the country of Egypt, shall never attack the country of Hatti to take possession. And Hattusili, the great king, the king of the country of Hatti, shall never attack the country of Egypt to take possession."

Priests were a BIG deal during this time. Leading not only small communities in their daily rituals, some High-Priests would lead the entire nation during times. Certain weak Pharaohs and Emperors have their time as "ruler" marked with extended periods of the Priesthood making executive decisions for the nation. The mysticism they produced had to be massive. Kings would receive their advice with great interest. War outcomes, crop yields, politics, relationships, and many other topics could easily be explained when the gods were involved.

In Egypt, the Pharaoh was not just a person or a title... the position came to embody a holy set of responsibilities and powers. The position was usually for males, but women could take the power for themselves if their husband was weak/young enough. Incest was not common... but it was not unusual for to happen either. It kept families together in the position of power but often yielded horribly inbred offspring. The Pharaoh was allowed many consorts and wives while in power.

Ramses II had many wives during his lifetime, and he had many children by each of them. His heir, Merneptah was his thirteenth son. Many of the others had died of old age or in battle by the time Ramses II passed away. Not every ruler lived that long: assassination and civil wars were not out of the question. Despite the power and holiness surrounding the position of Pharaoh, it could always be usurped. This involved support from the priesthood though, so new rulers had to be careful when plotting their rise to power.

One thing to remember... by Ramses II there were eighteen dynasties that went before him. Egypt had developed such a beautiful, diverse civilization by the Late Bronze Age. Conquest was not a foreign concept to them. Defeat was however, as their records rarely record them

thats looks very ceremonial to me.

thanks, you seem quite knowledgeable about the period.
but you focused mostly on military techs and politics.
my interest is more along the lines of: at what year the animal powered grain mill had been invented?, things that have to do with day to day life.

Look at the video I posted, there's also a part 2:

youtube.com/watch?v=paSGt-TfGpg

The crowns you see in Egyptian imagery is very well developed. Even common folks would be able to tell a great deal of information from just a few images. As writing spread across the Old World, it found a welcome home among the settled civilizations. Nomads had little use for the system, but agriculture could be better managed and distributed with the advent of writing.

Writing also developed from basic, little messages such as "Bad year" and "War came" to "The harvest of grain was bad due to locust and little rain. Ra preserve us." and "And know that the King is Hale like the Sun in the Sky. For his troops and his chariots in multitude all goes very well...." Akkadian was the usual writing language of the time and its cuneiform is very well preserved both in Egypt and in other civilizations.

Look up the Amarna letters if you want great examples of Late Bronze Age writing. They also mention the Sea Peoples as well.

I gotchu The economy was very driven by agriculture - as was the growing norm of the time. It was dependent on the Nile River entirely. That meant the peoples there were very intelligent when it came to natural cycles and signs of seasonal change. The land was their science. Overseers were necessary to organize enough labor to cultivate the Nile and its delta. As the waters rose, Bronze Age Egypt was prepared with advanced irrigation channels and aqueducts to properly control the waters. Every so often, heavier rains in sub-Saharan Africa would flush massive amounts of water and sediment downriver.

The red river of blood described in the Bible does happen in certain portions as algae blooms off the rich sediments and minerals washed into the river by those heavy rains. The Egyptians of that time period saw these as signs from the gods however. Priests and seers would be consulted in great volume as to what would happen. This inflated their power while the power of the bureaucracy and Pharaoh would wane. Times of plenty did the opposite.

>wielding swords both longer and better - as casting became the preferred method at this point in the Bronze age.
Bronze is always casted. Bronze age sword designs didn't change much in length in the late bronze age.

i do, but i dont speak italian. is he saying those are common everyday clothing?

As various dynasties came and went, foreigners would sometimes rise to prominent temple positions... even some Pharaohs and their dynasties had foreign origins. The polytheistic pantheon of the peoples was pretty similar across time. Gods and goddesses associated with their daily life - agriculture, children, the sun, the underworld, and the Pharaoh - would have names that shifted time to time. Cults were not uncommon either. Sometimes these cults would grow so swiftly that it would disturb the current societal order. Priests would order these cults cleansed. Sometimes it worked, while other times the cults would survive the persecution and end up becoming the dominant pantheon in Egypt.

Such was the power of the gods and those who represented them here on Earth. The common folks just toiled while they could and loved when they weren't. We aren't much different from out ancestors. Fart jokes, drawing penises on walls, gossip about who is screwing who, gangs, and xenophobia against immigrants are all well documented and still survive today. Clothing was simple for the most part. Unless the person had a large income that was expendable, it would be produced by the family itself or a near relative in exchange for some goods.

Women and men had very set roles in society. Expectations of children were heavy on women. They were also expected to produce domestic goods and food. Men were expected to work. And work hard. As water in large urban areas was dangerous to consume even when boiled, brewing became a large part of Egyptian society. The grains could be brewed into a drink that was safe to store and consume at any time. The calories and sugars in them would nourish the person while the mild alcohol content, as it was brewed as a daily meal rather than entertainment, gave the person a sense of calm or content.

Yes, thank you. Bronze was always cast, but the techniques were advancing to the point of producing better quality and quantity of weapons and tools. And I am sure the lengths were growing by this point. Not a gross increase, no. But the swords were becoming a focused thrust weapon as well as edged, so a greater length would really help the wielder get his thrust on target.

pbssocal.org/programs/secrets-of-the-dead/discovery-and-development-of-bronze-age-swords_clip/

Here's a neat video clip

Here is a neat illustration of some elite Egyptian styles and fashions

>We're sorry, but this video is not available in your region due to right restrictions.
thanks anyway, i've read all you have written.

>Yes, thank you. Bronze was always cast, but the techniques were advancing to the point of producing better quality and quantity of weapons and tools. And I am sure the lengths were growing by this point. Not a gross increase, no. But the swords were becoming a focused thrust weapon as well as edged, so a greater length would really help the wielder get his thrust on target.
Nice satan trips, but you are wrong. The quality of bronze did not significantly increase after the early bronze age when arsenic bronze was replaced by tin bronze. The quality and construction of weapons was pretty much the same for millenia. Cold working bronze increases its hardness, so does to vary the tin content, they knew that by the 3rd milenium bc. Other than that, Bronze is metallurgical pretty simple. You can work on the casting techniques, but then the most sophisticated one, the lost wax technique was also mastered pretty early on in the Bronze age.

Also the quantity of bronze was limited by the supply of tin, copper was easier to obtain and tin was traded from northern Europe up to Egypt along with amber and in return you find bronze age Egyptian glass and Gold in today Germany. Interesting hypothesis, the use of Iron started at the time of the Bronze age collapse, because the tin trade route collapsed and there was not enough metal anymore.

>, but then the most sophisticated one, the lost wax technique was also mastered pretty early on in the Bronze age.

Hum... not really

I love the "we're awesome fuck everyone else" vibe of island cultures

Hum... yes really
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahal_Mishmar

It was mastered int he near east, I don't think it was mastered anywhere in Europe before 1300-1200 bc

We are talking about Egypt and the Middle east, read the OP post for details.

>fully dressed in a colorful gown
>except with breast cut-outs
>that expression on her face

fuuug

she want the D

Yep, apparently. Of course the guy with the stick is a chief, the woman with the big hat is a priestess and the ones with the weapons are soldiers in armour, but for their roles it was probably everyday clothing.

When it comes to the woman with the naked breasts that's just some normal clothes.

Consider that, according to Dante at least, that style was still used during the middle ages (he expresses his butthurt about it in the XXIII chapter of the Purgatory).

And that pic related was the everyday dress of Sardinian women in the town of Dèsulu/Desulo until few decades ago (it still is for some old women). Every town had its own.

Man, I feel you.

i was thinking it is ceremonial based on this:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_snake_goddess_figurines

>Man, I feel you.
Man, i wanna feel her.

bimp

Interesting, would the pic related you posted be worn without the white cloth underneath in Dantes time?

If he was right, yes. Not exactly the same, of course, but something similar. Corset+skirt with very bright colours. Very similar to Minoan fashion.

bamp

Very interesting thread! Anyone have info for the scandinavian bronze/early iron ages as well? It's always been one of my main interests.