The great myth of empire collapse
13 days ago
- #empire-collapse
- #archaeology
- #historical-bias
- The fall of empires like Akkad and Ur was lamented in literature, but archaeological evidence suggests life continued normally for ordinary people.
- Recent studies show that imperial collapses often led to improved health and welfare for the general population, contrary to popular narratives of chaos and suffering.
- Height and skeletal evidence indicate that people were healthier after collapses, possibly due to reduced state predation, diversified diets, and less disease.
- Violence during collapses was often limited to small groups, like former soldiers, rather than widespread societal chaos.
- Historical accounts of collapse are often biased, written by elites to justify their rule, exaggerating turmoil and ignoring benefits to the common people.
- Modern examples, like Somalia's collapse in 1991, show that state failure can improve quality-of-life indicators, challenging the idea that collapse is universally catastrophic.
- The '1% view' of history distorts our understanding, emphasizing elite perspectives over the experiences of the majority.
- Collapse can reduce inequality and improve labor conditions, as seen after the Black Death, where wages and living standards rose.
- Migration, not mass death, was a common response to collapse, as seen in ancient Rome and modern Syria.
- A '99% view' of history suggests that empires were rarely beneficial for most people, and their fall did not lead to universal chaos.