I recently read a really good book about the systems collapse that occurred towards the end of the Bronze Age. The book is "1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed" [1]; it provides a vivid look into the ancient world, with some eerie parallels to our world today.<p>The Late Bronze Age was a fascinating time around the Mediterranean; there was extensive trade between Egypt, the Hittites, Minoans, Assyrians, Mitanni, and others; shades of "globalization" and a multi-cultural aesthetic had emerged, then it all came crashing down in the 12th century BCE.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.amazon.com/1177-B-C-Civilization-Collapsed-Turning/dp/0691140898" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/1177-B-C-Civilization-Collapsed-Turni...</a>