Παρουσίαση/Προβολή

(3030) -  Κωνσταντίνος Κοπανιάς

Περιγραφή Μαθήματος

This course investigates some of the most dramatic moments of crisis and transformation in ancient history, focusing on the Eastern Mediterranean between the late third and early first millennia BCE. Central to the course are two major turning points: the 4.2 ka event (c. 2200-2000 BCE), which marked the decline of the Akkadian Empire and major disruptions across Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Levant, Cyprus and the Aegean; and the more widely recognized Late Bronze Age collapse (c. 1200-1000 BCE), when powerful palace-centered states from Mycenaean Greece to the Hittite Empire and Egypt fragmented or vanished.

The course examines how ancient societies adapted (or failed to adapt) to challenges such as environmental change, war, migration, economic disintegration, and internal social unrest. At the heart of the course lies a critical engagement with the very idea of "collapse." What do we mean when we say a society collapses? Is collapse a sudden catastrophe, a gradual transformation, or a shift in elite structures? Drawing on theoretical frameworks from scholars such as Joseph Tainter, Guy Middleton, Norman Yoffee, and the broader debates shaped by works like Jared Diamond’s Collapse, students will explore how the concept of societal failure has been constructed, critiqued, and reimagined.

Beyond the Eastern Mediterranean, the course adopts a comparative approach, examining collapse and resilience in other regions and historical periods, including more recent systemic crises. By exploring these broader patterns, students will consider what makes societies vulnerable or resilient, and how ancient case studies can illuminate long-standing dynamics of complexity, fragility, and regeneration. Combining archaeological evidence, ancient texts, environmental data, and cutting-edge theoretical approaches, the course offers students a nuanced, interdisciplinary, and often surprising view into how human societies face and survive crisis.

Ημερομηνία δημιουργίας

Πέμπτη 19 Φεβρουαρίου 2026