Classics Georges Lecture - Cline

The Department of Classical Studies at Tulane University presents “Mycenaeans and Minoans in 1177 BC and After: What Happened in Greece During and After the Late Bronze Age Collapse?” by Eric Cline (The George Washington University).

Date ~ Thursday, February 5, 2026

Time ~ 6pm

Location ~ Woldenberg Art Center ~ Freeman Auditorium 205

For more than three hundred years during the Late Bronze Age, from about 1500 BC to 1200 BC, the Mediterranean region played host to a complex international world in which Mycenaeans, Minoans, Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Cypriots, and Canaanites all interacted, creating a cosmopolitan and globalized world-system such as has only rarely been seen before the current day. However, when the end came, the internation network collapsed rapidly, within just a few decades. The centuries following the Late Bronze Age Collapse in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean were a time of catastrophe, but they were also a time of rebirth and resilience. While there are examples of failure to thrive or even to survive in some cases, others managed to adapt and transform. In effect, we have eight case studies of what to do (and what not to do) in the event of a systems collapse, ranging from the Mycenaeans and Minoans to the Assyrians, Egyptians, and others in between. We will also consider whether there are any relevant lessons to be learned from this dramatic story of resurgence and revival, especially considering what is going on in our world today.

This in-person, non-ticketed lecture is free and open to the general public.  There will be no zoom component.  Tulane University is committed to providing universal access to all our events on site. Please contact Elizabeth M Reyna at 504-865-5719 / ereyna@tulane.edu at least two weeks in advance of the event if you have accessibility needs and need a disability-related accommodation to participate. Please note that advance notice is necessary to arrange some accessibility needs.