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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Polycarp66 AT aol.com
  • To: mc2499 AT mclink.it, b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: sea peoples
  • Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 01:26:15 EST

In a message dated 3/14/2001 5:39:20 PM Eastern Standard Time,
mc2499 AT mclink.it writes:









The nearest thing to an amphictyony I have seen in all of this affair is the
aggregation of populations to form that loose movement of invading forces
which
first manifested itself in single movements which began to be felt by the
Egyptians
with the Lukka (Lycians), Sherden (Sardinians) and the Meshwesh (perhaps
Mopsos)
crossing the Mediterrannean during the reign of Ramses II. Next came the the
troubles which the Hittites had with peoples on their western front, a
movement led
by the Ahhiyawaya (in Hittite, Achaeans in Greek, "Eqwesh" in Egyptian and
perhaps
Hivite in Hebrew) in about 1240. Within about fifty years the Hittites
disappeared
from the scene, fallen at a time when Ugarit was registering the arrival of
people
in boats attacking its coast. Ugarit then fell into silence along with a
number of
other cities in the trajectory of the sea peoples, cities in Cyprus, cities
in
Syria.














Perhaps this needs to be put a bit more in perspective.  We tend to talk of
the "Sea Peoples" as a group despite obvious divisions into various ethnic
groups.  Perhaps it is similar to the use of the term "Vikings".  These came
from a geograpical area, but were not of ONE group.  In fact, the word
"viking" has been used as a verb -- to go viking.  To use a more current
analogy, perhaps the term "hispanic" would serve.  These may be people from
various countries in South America, Central America, Mexico, Puerto Rico,
Cuba, and EVEN Spain (believe it or not) [ :-) ].    I would call to the
attention of those interested in the "Sea Peoples" a book by Robert Drews,
_The End of the Bronze Age_, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1993.  
ISBN 0-691-02591-6), in which his thesis is that it was the development of a
new type sword and a swarming tactic which brought about the end of the
advantage of chariotry in warfare.  Thereafter the chariot seems to have been
relegated to the function of a "battle taxi" as it appears in Homer (Makes
one wonder why Solomon was supposed to have kept a sizeable force of
chariotry).  It would seem that his opinion is that this was a phenomenon not
limited to one or even several political entities but was generally found
throughout the Mediterranian area.  He appears to view them somewhat as
opportunists seeking booty.

[BTW:  The book is only about 225pp. -- easy reading.]

gfsomsel



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