How civilizations end

Trade network collapse

4 civilizations in this dataset ended primarily this way — separated by as much as 2,540 years and thousands of miles, yet sharing the same underlying cause of collapse.

1,600 BCE 940 CE

Hittite Empire

1,600 BCE–1,178 BCE

Mycenaean Greece

1,600 BCE–1,100 BCE

Egyptian New Kingdom

1,550 BCE–1,077 BCE

Kingdom of Aksum

100 CE–940 CE

Hittite Empire

Anatolia · 1,600 BCE – 1,178 BCE

Capital Hattusa was abandoned amid the Late Bronze Age Collapse and associated invasions.

Mycenaean Greece

Greek mainland and Aegean · 1,600 BCE – 1,100 BCE

Fell during the broader Late Bronze Age Collapse alongside disrupted Mediterranean trade routes.

Egyptian New Kingdom

Nile Valley and Levant · 1,550 BCE – 1,077 BCE

Weakened by Sea Peoples incursions and economic strain during the wider Bronze Age collapse.

Kingdom of Aksum

Horn of Africa · 100 CE – 940 CE

Declined as Red Sea trade routes shifted and regional rivals rose.