THE ‘ADMINISTERED’ SYSTEM OF TRANSMEDITERRANEAN MARITIME RELATIONS AT THE END OF THE 2ND MILLENNIUM BC: APOGEE AND COLLAPSE

Abstract

!e Mycenaean expansion in the Mediterranean reaches its peak during the 14th and 13th centuries BC. Whilst its geographical
coordinates are roughly known, the more strictly economic and political aspects are generally di"cult to classify. Besides Aege-
an-Mycenaean mariners other maritime groups – not always clearly distinguishable from the former – are present, especially in
the eastern Mediterranean. !ey are mostly known through the cuneiform and hieroglyphic sources of contemporary territorial
states, in whose service they appear to act simultaneously as mercenaries and maritime operators. !e decades between the 13th
and 12th centuries BC see the collapse of these ‘administered’ commercial relationships, mainly due to the loss of control over this
network of maritime interconnections. !is phenomenon, variously de#ned as the emergence of “freelance mariners”, “nomads of
the sea” or “sea peoples” is concomitant with a series of social and technological changes taking place in the more strictly nautical
environment: above all the propulsion techniques and structure of the ships and new arrangements at port facilities.