Sea Peoples

The Sea Peoples were a supposed seafaring confederation that attacked ancient Egypt and other parts of the East Mediterranean before and during the Bronze Age collapse (1200–900 BC).

This famous scene is from the north wall of the Medinet Habu temple. It is often used to illustrate the Egyptian campaign against the Sea Peoples in 'the Battle of the Delta'. The hieroglyphs do not name Egypt's enemies, which are described as being from "northern countries". Early scholars noted the hairstyles and accessories worn by the combatants are similar to other reliefs in which such groups are named.

Archaeological evidence shows that during the Bronze Age collapse, many cities were destroyed along the coastlines of the Levant and the Aegean Sea. Based on the location of the destroyed cities, historians think they were destroyed by invaders from the sea. Their exact origins and cultures are unknown, so historians call them the Sea Peoples.

Some sources say the Sea Peoples used iron weapons, which the Bronze Age cultures had not yet seen.