The Sea Peoples were a purported seafaring confederation of groups known to have attacked ancient Egypt prior to the Late Bronze Age collapse. This concept, formulated in the nineteenth century, became one of the most famous chapters of Egyptian history, tied to what Wilhelm Max Müller described as “the most important questions of ethnography and the primitive history of classic nations.” The origins of the various Sea Peoples are widely debated, with proposals suggesting they came from either western Anatolia or Southern Europe. While archaeological inscriptions do not explicitly reference a migration, it is conjectured that the Sea Peoples sailed across the eastern Mediterranean, invading Anatolia, Syria, Canaan, Cyprus, and Egypt towards the end of the Bronze Age. The Trojan War, often romanticized by Homer, may have been more consequential than previously believed. Some archaeologists propose it as one of the final acts in what has been controversially dubbed “World War Zero” — an event that allegedly precipitated the collapse of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age civilizations around 3200 years ago. This scene from the north wall of Medinet Habu is often used to illustrate the Egyptian campaign against the Sea Peoples, in what has come to be known as the Battle of the Delta (c. 1175 BC),[1] during the reign of Ramesses III. A mysterious and powerful civilization, the Luwians, overlooked by many archaeologists, may have been the catalyst for this war. By the second millennium BC, civilization had flourished throughout the eastern Mediterranean. The Egyptian New Kingdom coexisted with the Hittites of central Anatolia and the Mycenaeans of mainland Greece, among others. Yet, within a single generation, these civilizations collapsed. The reasons behind this sudden downfall remain contested, with theories ranging from climate change to earthquake storms and social unrest. Eberhard Zangger, head of the Luwian Studies non-profit in Zurich, Switzerland, argues that a crucial piece of the puzzle is missing: another powerful civilization in western Anatolia played a pivotal role in this collapse. This theory, supported by ancient Egyptian texts, describes attacks on Cyprus and Syria by the mysterious ‘Sea Peoples’. Zangger concludes that these enigmatic attackers were, in fact, the ancient Luwians. According to Zangger’s theory, raiders set fires to temples and buildings, driving out the ruling class and causing the Hittite civilization to vanish into oblivion for three thousand years. The Mycenaean kings, sensing the opportunity, constructed a massive fleet and raided the port cities of Asia Minor, eventually destroying the Luwians who were left unprotected due to their extensive territory. The Mycenaean and Luwian forces ultimately joined before the famous siege of Troy. Yet the Luwians have remained completely unknown archaeologically. They do not appear on any political map of the Aegean Bronze Age, and there are still virtually no prehistorians who would say publicly that the Luwians ever wielded economic and political power. It was previously believed that the Luwians had no “economic or political power” and that they were too far dispersed among minor kingdoms to pose a threat. In fact, it was believed previously that Luwian territory was inhabited only by nomadic “horse people” who had no political power. The archaeologists studying the Luwian people note that the inclusion of the Luwians into the Bronze Age battles is the only model that aligns fully with excavation results, written documentation, and traditions. While not all archaeologists are in agreement that the Luwians are the mysterious “Sea Peoples,” many are supporting the idea that more research needs to be done in the long-neglected western Anatolia. Christoph Bachhuber, a professor at Oxford, says that he is excited to see the research as it will bring more attention to the western Anatolia and potentially provide the ability for an overall better understanding of the area and ancient civilizations that lived there. The post World War Zero and Lost civilization of Sea People appeared first on Anomalien.com.