Badaro Talks: Joanna Töyräänvuori: Late Bronze Age System Collapse on the Eastern Mediterranean

The Badaro Talks lecture ”Late Bronze Age System Collapse on the Eastern Mediterranean – Lessons from History" was given on September 17th 2025 by FIME’s researcher, Joanna Töyräänvuori, a scholar focusing in history, cultural heritage and literature of the ancient Near East, focusing in particular on the Late Bronze Age. Her speciality is the language and culture of Ugarit.

The event was held at FIME's office and streamed.

Abstract:
The Late Bronze Age (c. 1500 – 1150 BCE) was a time when the Eastern Mediterranean was dominated by an international trade and cooperation network formed by several highly developed civilizations connected by diplomatic and commercial ties, among them the coastal cities of Lebanon and Syria. This era is interesting because it has left a wealth of written and material evidence that allows for a reconstruction of the political landscape, and especially because it preceded the almost complete collapse of this world order as Bronze gives way to the Iron Age, many of the prominent kingdoms facing total destruction. There are many points of connection between the international LBA world system and the Eastern Mediterranean as we find it today, which makes it especially important to study the conditions that led to the breakdown of the network of kingdoms and city-states. What lessons can we learn from history so that we are not doomed to repeat it?

About FIME:

The Finnish Institute in the Middle East (FIME) is an academic institute that conducts research on the classical and contemporary languages, cultures, religions, and societies of the Middle East. The institute not only supports Finnish Middle Eastern studies and organises education in cooperation with universities in Finland, but also promotes and maintains academic and cultural cooperation between Finland and the countries of the Middle East. In addition, the institute brings research-based views to the public discussion about the Middle East in Finland.

FIME’s area of activities covers the whole region of Middle East. The institute is located in Beirut, Lebanon and has a representative office in Cairo, Egypt. The Institute is maintained by the Foundation of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East which is located in Helsinki, Finland.

https://www.fime.fi/en/