Bronze Age Collapse and Rebirth

Let's say due to a very early POD that there was another group of civilizations beyond the reach of the Bronze Age collapse that regularly traded and exchanged knowledge with the region. The second region is slightly ahead in technology and development. During the OTL Bronze Age Collapse people in the Mediterranean regressed so much that they forgot how to write.

With this umbilical to another region would it not have been as bad? How much would people forget? How long would it have taken to recover?
 
Let's say due to a very early POD that there was another group of civilizations beyond the reach of the Bronze Age collapse that regularly traded and exchanged knowledge with the region. The second region is slightly ahead in technology and development. During the OTL Bronze Age Collapse people in the Mediterranean regressed so much that they forgot how to write.

With this umbilical to another region would it not have been as bad? How much would people forget? How long would it have taken to recover?
How bad can things become so that Egyptians forget how to write?!!! By the time of the BAC, writing was so widespread, this is rather difficult to achieve.
As for a different civilization's territory, I humbly offer the Danube ;) if you can make them withstand steppe attacks.
 
@Salvador79, ah I'd better clarify. Everyone didn't forget to write, but in some parts of what would become modern day Greece the knowledge of writing was lost for a time.

Danube sounds good, but how about including Pannonia? Its got a ring of mountains and so makes a bloody good defensive position against any swarms of Sea People who come knocking.
 
I understand that britain and northern france likely had trade contacts with the eastern Mediterranean, is it possible for them to grow rapidly from that connection before the collapse, or are they just too far away?
 
I understand that britain and northern france likely had trade contacts with the eastern Mediterranean, is it possible for them to grow rapidly from that connection before the collapse, or are they just too far away?
They clearly had; British tin was vital to bronze-making. What is the divergence, though? How would you have trade transform their clan-based societies into civilized states?
 
The problem is, as Salvador pointed out, its not that the knowledge wasen't there. Its that the strain of the legitimacy of societal leadership who could organize the maintenance of and the physical damage to the "Pipe in the Ground" that allowed for widespread effective use of that knowledge in ways that could accomplish the tasks that made civilized states... well, civilized. Before the collapse, you could get a region-wide irrigation system because people feared/respected the government enough to pay their taxes or show up for their required labor when the king's agents showed up and asked for it. Afterwards, I'm having trouble feeding my own family and the king's agents failed to provide what they promised on their end. Why should I run the risk of leaving something to damage my subsistance farm to dig up silt in the hot sun for somebody who's giving me nothing in return?
 
I think that part of the problem is that we're not sure what caused the Collapse in the first place. If, as some theories have proposed, it was a general systems' collapse due to changes in technology undermining the control of the large centralized states of that era then it seems entirely likely that this second region would suffer the same fate.
 
They clearly had; British tin was vital to bronze-making. What is the divergence, though? How would you have trade transform their clan-based societies into civilized states?
Easy way that was done in a novel i read a long time ago was as below
Mycenae Greek city sets up a trading post in Cornwall for tin. Various things happen and the Greeks end up setting their leader as king over a tribe. He then starts civilizing them. This leads to a war which he wins gaining over lordship of all the surrounding tribes. To celebrate his victory they then build Stonehenge, novel was a bleak ending as the greek's enemies from Greece turn, defeat him and carry him away. This leads to collapse of his attempt to civilize and everyone eventually forgets who built Stonehenge But the first bit might work, imported nobility doing an uplift.
 
I'm not so sure the Mycenaeans could pull that off, but the Egyptians possibly could. @pjmidd

Perhaps have them take interest in far off affairs - perhaps they've heard of movements in the far north, and decide to sent forces to "civilise" the region. Perhaps intending to make more money from exports. It might be the idea of some particularly eccentric scribe. Or just plain old arrogance.

So off they send someone, essentially creating an Egyptian Ally in the region, and through that they find out about rich mineral deposits - of iron (and maybe tin). Cue repeating the process, essentially setting up a network of Egyptian allies in the area.

This has two advantages that might help with the collapse.

1) Egyptian statecraft could help strengthen the region, with a peaceful network of allies that can co-ordinate with a local Egyptian "Ally". This creates buffers for protecting against invasion.
2) Adding these economies (and what will likely be excess agricultural output), passively offsets some of the famines that made the collapse worse.

Now, this would likely upset the Hittites (who may do exactly the same thing in the region, or perhaps to their north, depends on whether or not the two work together.

But somewhere to trade with, import food from when things get bad, and be a buffer zone?
 
Thinking about it you could actually have the POD as the collapse itself. Musing's below
Mycenae city state sees the collapse starting ( increased raids etc ) and asks an oracle for a prophecy. Gets the normal cryptic response and interprets it as having to go to the tin island or certain doom. So they organize a bug out and the worthies decamp including craftsmen etc to Britain. They arrive , overawe a local tribe perhaps by bribing the local high priest to give the right omens and set up. More advanced agriculture, building and weapons/tactics together with political savvy ( first tribe effectively merges so they have local knowledge ) mean over time they gradually Greekify and control the island.
Now in typical Greek fashion, they will splinter with colony cities being independent and possibly end up focusing on the various isles rather than the continent ( maybe the way the wording of the oracle's prophecy is interpreted ). Bonus points if when the Romans turn up, initially the Romans think they have barbarians off Gaul and get very surprised when Caesar crosses and finds himself facing off against hoplites rather than woad covered Celts. Extra bonus points if the "Greeks" refer to themselves as Achaeans and refer to any Hellenes present as Asiatic goat botherers or some such causing the Romans heads to melt :).
 
I really doubt that they'll turn the native culure completely into a greek one. More likely, you get a sort of Heleno-Brythonic mix, it probably leans more native, but it has significant Hellenistic influnces.

The first colony is likely to be in Cornwall, but a more successful descendant or rival would be in the Severn valley.
 
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