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Sea Peoples

By K. Kris Hirst, About.com

Definition: Sometime in the late 13th or early 12th centuries BC a loose confederation of people from the Mediterranean Sea created great havoc throughout the region, affecting the Mycenaean, Hittite, and Egyptian empires. Scholars debate just exactly what groups were included in the conferation called the Sea Peoples. Although we know their contemporary names from Egyptian records, the connections between modern names for the ancient societies are somewhat unclear. Most scholars would accept that included among the Sea Peoples were the Philistines (Peleset) and the Etruscans (Teresh).

This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.

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