THE INVASIONS OF THE "SEA PEOPLES" AND MIGRATION PROCESSES IN ASIA MINOR AND THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

Abstract

This article examines the impact of the invasions of the “Sea Peoples” and the migration processes of the 13th–11th centuries BCE on Asia Minor and the South Caucasus. The primary aim of the study is to analyze the political, military, and cultural transformations that developed in the context of the Late Bronze Age collapse and to demonstrate their connection with the formation of early state structures in the South Caucasus.

The study is based on Egyptian, Hittite, and Assyrian written sources, archaeological evidence, and modern historiographical research. Particular attention is paid to the inscriptions of Medinet Habu, the archives of Ugarit, Hittite administrative texts, and Assyrian annals, which reflect the crisis of the Late Bronze Age international system. The article analyzes the problem of the ethnic identification of the “Sea Peoples,” their migration routes, and the political transformation of Asia Minor following the collapse of the Hittite Empire.

Special emphasis is placed on the South Caucasus. The study discusses archaeological sites such as Nazarlebi, Didnauri, and Samreklo, which indicate the development of military-territorial organization and cult-administrative systems during the Early Iron Age. It is demonstrated that the South Caucasus was not an isolated region but was actively involved in the migration movements and political transformations taking place in Asia Minor and the Ancient Near East.

The research concludes that the era of the “Sea Peoples” was not merely a period of military catastrophe; rather, it represented a phase of broad Eurasian transformations that laid the foundation for new political, cultural, and technological systems. In the South Caucasus, these processes significantly influenced the strengthening of military-territorial unions, the spread of iron metallurgy, and the formation of the early state traditions of Diauehi and Colchis. The study demonstrates that the South Caucasus was an active participant in the global crisis of the Late Bronze Age.

Keywords: Sea Peoples; Late Bronze Age Collapse; Asia Minor; South Caucasu;, migration processes; Hittite Empire; Diauehi. Colchi; Early Iron Age; Nazarlebi.