While the palace economies of the Mycenaeans and Hittites were sophisticated, they were also relatively young and perhaps less deeply embedded in their societies.

Egyptian administration had layers of redundancy and resilience that younger palace systems lacked.

Fourth, Egypt had a larger population and a more substantial resource base than most of its neighbors.

Even under stress, Egypt could mobilize military forces and economic resources that the Mycenaeans and Hittites could not match in sheer scale.

Finally, Egypt may have had better intelligence about what was happening and more time to prepare.

The Ramesses III accounts describe Egypt as taking defensive measures before the Sea Peoples reached Egyptian territory — fortifying coastal positions, assembling naval forces, coordinating land defenses.