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Eric H. Cline.
1177 B.C.: the year civilization collapsed.
Princeton University Press. 2014

In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the “Sea Peoples” invaded Egypt. The pharaoh’s army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of the late second millennium B.C. suddenly ceased to exist. How did it happen?

Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by a series of connected calamities, ranging from invasion and revolt, to the cutting of international trade routes. He draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and peoples of the Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse.

Eric H. Cline.
Archaeology: an introduction to the world's greatest sites.
Great Courses. 2016

Eric H. Cline.
Three Stones Make a Wall: the story of archaeology.
Princeton University Press. 2017

In 1922, Howard Carter peered into Tutankhamun’s tomb for the first time, the only light coming from the candle in his outstretched hand. Urged to tell what he was seeing through the small opening he had cut in the door to the tomb, the Egyptologist famously replied, “I see wonderful things.” Carter’s fabulous discovery is just one of the many spellbinding stories told in Three Stones Make a Wall. Written by Eric Cline, an archaeologist with more than thirty seasons of excavation experience, this book traces the history of archaeology from an amateur pursuit to the cutting-edge science it is today by taking the reader on a tour of major archaeological sites and discoveries. Along the way, it addresses the questions archaeologists are asked most often: How do you know where to dig? How are excavations actually done? How do you know how old something is? Who gets to keep what is found? Taking readers from the pioneering digs of the eighteenth century to today’s exciting new discoveries, Three Stones Make a Wall is a lively and essential introduction to the story of archaeology.

Eric H. Cline.
Digging Up Armageddon: the search for the lost city of Solomon.
Princeton University Press. 2020

In 1925, famed Egyptologist James Henry Breasted sent a team of archaeologists to the Holy Land to excavate the ancient site of Megiddo—Armageddon in the New Testament—which the Bible says was fortified by King Solomon. Their excavations made headlines around the world and shed light on a legendary city of biblical times, yet little has been written about what happened behind the scenes. Digging Up Armageddon brings to life one of the most important archaeological expeditions ever undertaken, describing the stunning discoveries that were made there and providing an up-close look at the internal workings of a dig in the early years of biblical archaeology.

Eric H. Cline.
After 1177 B.C.: the survival of civilizations.
Princeton University Press. 2024

In this gripping sequel to his bestselling 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the story of what happened after the Bronze Age collapsed—and why some civilizations endured, while others disappeared forever

At the end of the acclaimed history 1177 B.C., many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean lay in ruins, undone by invasion, revolt, natural disasters, famine, and the demise of international trade. An interconnected world that had boasted major empires and societies, relative peace, robust commerce, and monumental architecture was lost and the so-called First Dark Age had begun. Now, in After 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the compelling story of what happened next, over the next four centuries. Alongside chaos and failure, there was resilience, transformation, success, and new opportunities and inventions, including iron and the alphabet. A gripping work of ancient history, After 1177 B.C. is filled with lessons about why some societies survive massive shocks while others don’t.