IntroductionThere is a particular characteristic that all the kings of the Ptolemaic dynasty and many Roman rulers share, they performed ritual and religious responsibilities that an Egyptian king was supposed to accomplish, namely constructing, renovating, and adorning sanctuaries, chapels, and religious temples 1 . Consequently, there are still numerous divine temples built or decorated by them as, Dendera, Edfu, Kom-Ombo and Phila.The scheme of heavenly buildings demonstrated the rulers' appreciation of traditional Egyptian religious activities while projecting an image of their own supremacy in Egypt. Accordingly, the administrative dominance of Egypt by those foreigners was supported by clever and effective use of the artistic symbolism of Egyptian temples as an adaptive system that affiliated them with the local political heritage 2 .
In ancient Egypt, food crises occurred due to several reasons as bad harvests, climate change, wars, economic and diplomatic reasons. The inundation level of the Nile River was irregular, sometimes low and other times high that is why food crises happened frequently. Food crises were ranging from food shortages to great famines. Some archeologists relate the collapse of the Old Kingdom to food crisis as a result of climate change. The idea of food crises management reflects the efforts of ancient Egyptians and the Ptolemies in protecting land from the Nile's flood and sustaining agricultural activities by building dams, canals, storing and distributing food. Food crisis was recorded clearly in the autobiographical inscriptions of the rulers of the 1st Intermediate Period. In the Ptolemaic Period many food crises were recorded as well, the most famous of which was during the reign of Ptolemy III which was recorded on the Canopus Decree and that of Ptolemy V on the Rosetta Stone. This paper aims at displaying a historical background of food crises from early Pharaonic period till late Ptolemaic period, shedding light on management tools to overcome the crisis. The study also conducts an analytical study of the Pharaonic and Ptolemaic periods in regards to food crisis reasons and management. The research revealed some similarities as well as some differences between the two periods.
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