In the late Bronze Age, the Mediterranean world was rocked by a series of raids from a mysterious group known as the Sea Peoples. These seafaring warriors appeared seemingly out of nowhere, launching devastating attacks on coastal towns and trade routes throughout the region.
Their identity and motivations remain shrouded in mystery. Still, they played a significant role in the Bronze Age collapse that brought down some of the greatest empires of the time, including the Hittite, Mycenaean, and Mitanni kingdoms.
Few contemporary sources of information concern the Sea People, and those that exist are not easily interpreted.
Ancient tablets, found primarily in Egypt, allude to various naval battles but make few specific mentions of the Sea People, even though they are believed to have clashed with three great Pharaohs, including Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great.
One translated inscription from the era of Ramesses II warns: “They came from the sea in their warships, and none could stand against them.”
Even more mysterious than the lack of evidence for the Sea People is that they have suddenly vanished, just like the civilizations they may have conquered.
After 1178 BC, no more inscriptions or records of the Sea People were made. Still, several theories have sought to explain their origins and sudden disappearance.
Some of these theories have suggested that the Sea People may have been displaced Trojans or a collection of numerous tribes of naval raiders from Central Europe. It remains unknown whether they ultimately assimilated into land-dwelling societies, were eliminated by a rival civilization, or, as the records seem to suggest, vanished from the face of the Earth...
Dark5 Ancient Mysteries