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This was a fascinating article, and the theory that the availability of iron prevented big empires seems to make sense. But then I don't get how later big empires (e.g., Athenian Empire and eventually Roman Empire) formed. What changed that allowed big empires to form even in the presence of iron?

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in theory, a delicate ecosystem built around Bronze collapsed. to make weak sauce Iron work you had to be a) very desperate and b) very clever. which scales for those who figure it out

the post in question doesn't even mention Ugarit. or Arsenic. i am genuinely pissed off at the original tome being passed off as genuine discourse:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugarit

just pure charlatanry

The author in question is clearly not a charlatan. That they might have omitted discussing some of your favourite details in an overview article is not a sign of quackery.

my favorite details? this is like someone claiming to discover The Calculus in 1732 and conveniently forgetting to mention Newton or Leibniz

You are equating a writing system with a societal collapse?

Whatever it is you are actually alluding to, you've omitted several steps in communicating your anger.

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