Sea Peoples

In this episode, we explore the enduring mystery of the Sea Peoples, the seafaring confederation that swept across Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age collapse around 1200 BC. Drawing on ancient records from pharaohs like Ramesses III and Merneptah, including the striking battle reliefs at Medinet Habu, we examine who these groups may have been, from the Peleset and Sherden to the Lukka, and why they launched such dramatic assaults. The episode also unpacks the modern debate over whether the Sea Peoples were destroyers of civilization or desperate migrants fleeing drought, famine, and upheaval, while tracing their possible origins in places like the Aegean, Sardinia, and Sicily. Along the way, we look at how their movements reshaped warfare, contributed to the fall of major powers like the Hittite Empire, and helped usher the ancient world out of the Bronze Age and into the Iron Age.