Might I suggest severe fluctuations in climate could have initiated the migrations, the collapse of the Hittite Empire, and the invasion of the eastern Mediterranean coastline by the “Sea Peoples”?
According to Brian Fagan in The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization, there was a very long, hot dry period between 2200 to 1200 bc. Beginning on page 177, he claims a widespread drought in 1200 bc affected much of eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Thanks for mentioning that book. I found it fascinating.
I was also fascinated in the way the author expected it to convince his readers of the importance of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
He seemed to think that by explaining how past climate changes had impacted or destroyed past civilizations, we’d immediately jump to the conclusion that we need to do all we can to prevent the next climate change.
Somehow, he seems to think that after having explored a number of past incidents of climate change - in eras when there could have been no anthropogenic factor - we’d assume that we could prevent future incidents of climate change, simply by adopting a “green” lifestyle.
That all of those prior civilizations that had been destroyed by climate change had been living “green” lifestyles doesn’t seem to have occurred to him.