Hello darlings! I am very excited about today’s topic. Since I’ve heard of this in my World Civilizations class I’ve been fascinated. I have to figure this out! Today I present to you, the Sea Peoples.
Perhaps you’ve heard of them, or maybe you haven’t. Many people might think immediately of Atlantis or some such underwater civilization when presented with the term “Sea People.” This is (unfortunately) not the case. The mysterious Sea Peoples are credited with the collapse of the Bronze Age. They have not been recorded very much in history, but what we do know is little help in figuring out who they were and where they came from. In this post, I’ll briefly explain the Bronze Age, the wars that the Sea Peoples were supposedly involved in, and the records we have on them.
THE BRONZE AGE
First, you need to know what the Bronze Age was, why it was so influential, and why it had such a strange ending. The Bronze Age ranges from approximately 3300 BC to 1200 BC, sandwiched between the Stone and Iron ages. All this means is that the primary material used in utensils, weaponry, and everyday items was forged out of bronze. I guess this means we are currently in the Plastic Age… The Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt occurred smack in the middle of the Bronze Age. This is where understanding a little bit about the Bronze Age comes into play.
FIRST RECORDS
If you’re familiar with the Exodus story, you’ll know that the Pharaoh during that time was Ramesses II, the Great. He claimed to have fought the elusive Sea Peoples. According to his inscriptions and details, the Sea Peoples appeared to have all come from ships, but the odd thing was that they all looked different. Some had helmets with horns on them, and some looked like they were wearing Hittite battle armor or possibly Mycenean or Phoenecian. Ramesses II claimed that the Sea Peoples were allies of the Hittites. He also declared victory in their battle, however, pharaohs (especially Ramesses) were notorious for declaring victories that weren’t actually victories. In actuality, what happened was that Egypt’s borders had been slightly lessened, but the kingdom was still safe.
MERENPTAH’S RECORDS
Merenptah was the son (one of many) of Ramesses II. After his father’s kingdom, he reigned with similar ideals. Here is where the Sea Peoples seemed to gain more control than they previously had. Now, according to Merenptah, the Sea Peoples were fighting alongside the Libyans. He also describes where they came from, but historians over the centuries cannot locate those lands, adding to the mystery of the Sea Peoples. In Merenptah’s encounter, these warriors came from the north, and they came by ship. During the Bronze Age, it wouldn’t have been uncommon for trades to be executed via boat, but mass transportation wasn’t something of an everyday occurrence. The Hittite empire was located on the western side of the Tigris and Euphrates, near where Turkey is today. Sea travel would have been possible, but still, the Hittite kingdom extended right to the border of the New Kingdom of Egypt (northern Egypt). The Mycenean theory would have made good sense as they could have come from the sea also. It would have been a pretty straight shot from the islands to Egypt. This map provided by the World History Encyclopaedia shows a rough estimate of the Sea Peoples' attacks on Egypt.
Back to Merenptah’s battle with them, he claimed victory, creating safe and secure borders. Like his father Ramesses II, Merenptah believed there to be no threat coming from the Sea Peoples again. He was sorely mistaken.
RAMESSES III’S RECORDS
In previous Egyptian kingdoms, the Sea Peoples performed coastal raids (pirates anyone?) and competed in small skirmishes with other empires. Ramesses III fought them with more force. Though he lost little in the battle, it wasn’t a complete and total victory. Though according to him of course, Egypt won and the Sea Peoples lost. While there is truth in this statement, and the Sea Peoples were somewhat defeated, Ramesses III was big on propaganda. Anything that made him look better was in the forefront of his mind. At the Battle of Xois, Ramesses faced the Sea Peoples and conquered many of them. With a combination of this battle and many others, the Bronze Age collapsed. Egypt survived, but the Sea Peoples disappeared, never to be heard from again.
THE MYSTERY
All while these great pharaohs were supposedly defeating the Sea Peoples, they were also wiping out entire civilizations. Some of the most powerful and industrious empires were reduced to nothing, and it was all accounted to the Sea Peoples. So, whoever they were, they had a lot of power. Some historians and scholars believe these Sea Peoples to have just been the Hittites, but I beg the question: if it was the Hittites, why did they come by sea? They could have just crossed the borders and waged war. I’m not saying that the Hittite theory is impossible, but it does seem odd. Others wonder, could the Sea Peoples have been the earliest records we have of Vikings? Now, I tend to lean this way. Not many people are as easily identified as the Vikings, with their horned garb and thick armor. But it is strange that no one remotely like the Vikings had been recorded at this time. In fact, the only reliable source we have on the origins of the Vikings was dated to 2000 years after the fall of the Bronze Age.
So, all of these extremely powerful civilizations just collapsed? And the majority is credited to the strange Sea Peoples? Doesn’t that just sound bizarre? Now, if you side with the idea that the Sea Peoples were allies of the Hittites, here’s some food for thought. The Hittite empire was one that fell because of the Sea Peoples. This practically eliminates the theory of the Sea Peoples just being Hittites unless some other force wiped them out. If the Sea Peoples were allies of the Hittites, they had a mighty shifty plan all along, pretending to help with the intention of undermining them.
Other areas around Mesopotamia and Asia Minor either collapsed or were extremely weakened during the Late Bronze Age. Egypt suffered losses, although was still considered one of the most powerful kingdoms entering the Iron Age. Something else to consider is that the Phoenicians were very powerful after the Bronze Age collapse. Could they have been the Sea Peoples? It would make sense until you consider that after the collapse the Sea Peoples seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. Was it all a masquerade? Did they disguise themselves so that their enemies didn’t recognise them?
Well, this wraps up today’s Unexplained History post! I hope you all enjoyed it and are curious to learn more now! Leave a comment below on your personal theory of who the Sea Peoples were! I’d love to hear your thoughts. Until next time!
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I believe the Sea Peoples were the Telemarines, enemies of the Narians. Not all of The Chronicles of Narnia is make believe. Why couldn't the Telemarines reference the Sea Peoples? Just another mystery maybe?