Comment by pfdietz

These swords were central to Robert Drews' theory in his 1993 book "The End of the Bronze Age". Unlike the "systems collapse" theory popularized by Eric Cline in "1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed", Drews explains the late Bronze Age collapse as due to changes in military organization and technology, with larger numbers of foot soldiers armed with relatively inexpensive bronze swords becoming dominant over armies based on smaller numbers of relatively more expensive chariots (with missile weapons). These changes undermined the ability of the elites of most of the societies of the region to defend against attack, and (so the theory goes) once it was widely realized the large stockpiles of wealth were vulnerable, it was game over. Those that survived (Egypt, Assyrians) moved to the new technology and organization.