"In this worthy sequel to his masterpiece 1177 B.C. , Eric Cline takes us into the chaos and confusion of the ancient Mediterranean in an era of social breakdown. We see the fall and sometimes rise of great empires, the persistence through troubled times of fabled cities, and the loss and ultimate revival of writing, long-distance trade, and elevated arts. Above all, Cline insightfully reveals that even in times of the direst crisis, some people find ways to control their fates--while some do not." --Ian Morris, author of Geography Is Destiny: Britain and the World: A 10,000-Year History "Cline uses his encyclopedic knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world to give you a front-row seat to a fascinating and controversial time in human history--a period that faced the same question we face today: What happens to civilizations after climate change, war, and disease? After 1177 B.C. is a tour de force that will open your eyes--and give you much-needed hope for today and our future.

" --Sarah Parcak, author of Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past "Eric Cline wrote the landmark book on the Late Bronze Age Collapse, and now he gives us the sequel: what happened after and what came out of it? This too is a landmark book: lucid, deep, and insightful. I've learned more about the mechanisms of collapse from Cline than from any other contemporary historian. You cannot understand human civilization and self-organization without studying what happened on, before, and after 1177 B.C." --Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable "Eric Cline is the modern prophet of antiquity, finding the real and often uncomfortable lessons for today in an ancient world much larger than most scholars dare to tread. In this compelling book, an era once known only for decline and failure emerges in all its color and noise. At once an enthralling read and an up-to-the-minute guide to the latest ideas and discoveries, this is the ancient history we need now." --Josephine Quinn, author of How the World Made the West: A 4,000-Year History "To say that this is an important book doesn't do it justice.

It is wonderful. Covering a broad timespan, Eric Cline deals cogently and evenhandedly with the Mediterranean, the Aegean, Egypt, and the Near East, and is fully at home with his sources, whether Greek, Egyptian, Levantine, Mesopotamian, or central and western Mediterranean. Lucidly and elegantly written, this a seminal work that is both exciting and fun to read."-- John K. Papadopoulos, University of California, Los Angeles.