One of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world is the mysterious peoples of the sea. Almost nothing is known about them. The first mentions date back to around the time of the reign of Ramses III. However, by the time this Egyptian ruler came to the throne, the peoples of the sea had been burning neighboring lands for 40 years and destroying the great states of the Mediterranean.
One of the first to fall was the Hittite kingdom. The cities were destroyed and burned. Not a trace of the past culture remains. And after a while, tribes settled in their place, in many ways superior to the Hittites in terms of development.
Our contemporaries recently found about 80 refuge villages high in the mountains of the island of Crete. According to historians, it was the indigenous inhabitants of the island who fled from the ruthless powerful invaders who came to the shores on numerous warships.
Quite narrow paths lead to the fortifications, along which more than 2 people could not pass at the same time. High in the mountains, even a small group of men could hold back the onslaught of an entire army for a long time, throwing heavy stones on the enemy invaders or showering them with a hail of arrows.
Judging by the finds of archaeologists, the original population of Crete hid in villages for many years, having managed to arrange a fairly decent way of life in the mountainous terrain.
The worst was for those who could not hide in the inaccessible mountains. The peoples of the sea showed inhuman cruelty, almost completely burning the cities into which they invaded. They, like real killing machines, unexpectedly landed ashore. After them only ashes and heaps of bones remained.
The first appearance of the peoples of the sea at the border of the Egyptian lands was noted during the reign of the XIX dynasty of the Pharaoh Merneptah (approximately 1203 BC). From the direction of the Phoenician land, innumerable warships appeared. But the pharaoh managed to gather a large army and place it along the coast. Perhaps it was for this reason that the mysterious invaders did not join the battle.
All their fury fell upon the city of Ugarit, which was located in the territory of modern Syria. The barbarians destroyed the city, burned down the most valuable library, destroyed sanctuaries and temples. Some of the residents were taken prisoner, the rest were simply killed. Blooming Ugarit was reduced to rubble.
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Another great city, comparable in power to Rome, Anatolia (Asia Minor), did not escape the tragic fate. The peoples of the sea sowed death and destruction, an entire culture was reduced to dust.
Their attacks lasted for twenty long years. According to one version, the great Troy fell precisely at the hands of this mysterious people. Although there is no unequivocal answer: did the civil strife lead to the destruction of the city long before the invasion of the sea conquerors?
At the beginning of the 12th century BC, it was the turn of a weakened Egypt to experience all the atrocities and cruelty, ruthlessness and power of the invincible people. The troops arrived in myriad numbers. Some landed ashore, others moved by land. The wives and children rode in carts with them. It is not known for certain whether the warriors of the Sea People were always accompanied by their families on campaigns.
However, Ramses III gathered a powerful army against the advancing invaders. The decisive battle took place in 1777 BC, in which the peoples of the sea suffered a crushing defeat. The Egyptians mercilessly killed the defeated invaders. Blood flowed like a river. There was no mercy or mercy for the vanquished.
The peoples of the sea disappeared without a trace. However, by order of Ramses, tribes settled in the Mediterranean and began to call themselves the Philistines. Whether they were the descendants of a people who bowed their heads before the power of the victor is not known.
There is also another version. Some scholars believe that the Tirsen tribes were the peoples of the sea. They were the ancestors of the Etruscans and inhabited the territory of the Apennine Peninsula before the arrival of the Romans. The Tyrsenians taught the inhabitants of a powerful empire to build roads, build unique cities, and wage gladiatorial battles.
But no one excludes the possibility that the once powerful people could have been the Teukr tribes who inhabited the mysteriously destroyed Troy. Having gathered "fortune hunters", the Teukras could well turn into ruthless killers terrorizing the coast of the entire Mediterranean.
There is another version. It is believed that the peoples of the sea could once have been mercenary troops who served in the highly developed countries of the ancient world. After the military business became the occupation of the elite, the plebeian mercenaries were left out of work. Having organized into a close-knit group, they made up a powerful army. They conquered city after city.
Numerous weak tribes have joined the mighty and ruthless wars. The population of large and rich cities, unprepared for war, was unable to resist the battle-hardened conquerors. And entire cultures turned to ashes under the warlike sword of the invaders. Until they themselves were destroyed by a worthy rival. Ramses the third, who rallied the Egyptian people, perhaps saved more than one culture from complete ruin and destruction.
Today, there are countless versions of who the sea peoples were. And although there is evidence and facts in favor of each, it is impossible to say for sure which one is correct. This mystical mystery will remain an unsolved mystery of the ancient world.