What's Old is New: Innovation Lessons from 1177 B.C.

1177 B.C. – The Year Civilization Collapsed, a book by Eric Cline, explores the reasons why several societies in the Mediterranean region disappeared in a relatively short period of time. Although Cline’s archaeological exploration of this era is fascinating, the book also highlights several ancient anecdotes that provide clever approaches for overcoming modern innovation challenges. For example, the story of the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III, who attacked Megiddo via the vulnerable Wadi Ara, provides insight into the value of non-obvious solutions, choosing the least obvious alternative, and the importance of understanding history. Various other stories demonstrate the need to focus on the real underpinnings of a process, not just the elaborate aspects, self-awareness when approaching innovation, using archaeoseismology to combine old and new thinking for insights, and the importance of a diversified innovation portfolio.