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AnaphoricReference t1_j0g179q wrote

Reply to comment by Maccus_D in Conflict in Central Europe leading to Bronze Age Collapse by Gideonn1021

The part of that argument that makes sense to me is that a civilization that depends on bronze will need access to a large distance trade network to obtain both copper and tin. It will never have an incentive to destroy the trade network, even during war. A civilization that has made the switch to iron will more likely intentionally disrupt trade networks when it goes to war if its enemies depend on bronze.

In that sense it was a "disruptive innovation".

But iron was neither easier to work with nor better than bronze in those days. Just more widespread geographically.

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Maccus_D t1_j0g750i wrote

I believe they mentioned the required vast trade network required for bronze and juxtaposed it to how the Beaker culture in Sardinia had all the iron it could need and may have been one of the groups that comprised the Sea People.

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