It was a period associated with the collapse of central authority , a depopulation , particularly of urban areas , the loss of literacy in Anatolia and the Aegean , and its restriction elsewhere , the disappearance of established patterns of long-distance international trade , and increasingly vicious struggles for power . As part of the Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age Dark Ages , it was a period associated with the collapse of central authorities , a general depopulation , particularly of highly urban areas , the loss of literacy in Anatolia and the Aegean , and its restriction elsewhere , the disappearance of established patterns of long-distance international trade , increasingly vicious intra-elite struggles for power , and reduced options for the elite if not for the general mass of population .