The Collapse of Western Civilization

I was disheartened to learn that Western Civilization had already collapsed twice. I'd heard about the fall of Rome, but I'd missed the first collapse, which happened about 1600 years earlier and was probably caused by a perfect storm of events: earthquakes, climate change and invasions by a ruthless group of predators called the Sea Peoples (who remain unidentified). 

What fell was a huge tangle of nations that had governments, laws, trading routes, writing, bronze swords of mass destruction, and so on. Major parts of the system were the Mycenaeans, Babylonians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Hittites, Canaanites, Cypriots, Minoans, even the Israelites (a minor group, to be sure). What followed in the West was a Dark Age, followed by the rise of the Greek and Roman civilization, followed by a fall, followed by a Dark Age, which was followed by our current civilization. Of course, I'm not saying that we need to be on the lookout for earthquakes, climate change or barbarians invading Babylon. As Nefertiti used to say, we enjoy the protection of Aten, the one and only God.