Climate change at the end of the Old Kingdom in Egypt around 4200 BP: New geoarchaeological evidence

Welc, Fabian; Marks, Leszek

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2013.07.035

Cited by 71 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Yet an abrupt climatic episode, dated to the end of the 4 cal kyr BP, is assumed to be the main cause of the Old Kingdom collapse (Welc and Marks 2013;Stanley et al 2003;Butzer 2012). Another catastrophic episode is dated to the end of the 3 cal kyr BP and was the cause for the collapse not only of the Egyptian New Kingdom but of the whole Bronze Age system in the Near East (Roberts et al 2011;Butzer 2012).…”

Section: The Greater Nile Valleymentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene Supra-Regional Environmental Changes as Trigger for Major Socio-Cultural Processes in Northeastern Africa and the Sahara

Gatto

Zerboni

2015

Afr Archaeol Rev

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This contribution presents the environmental changes that occurred over the last ten millennia in a vast region of North Africa, encompassing the Central Sahara, the Greater Nile Valley and the Horn of Africa. These areas are of particular significance in the continent because of the early socioeconomic transformations that occurred there. An up-to-date review of palaeoclimate research is proposed with the aim to highlight new theoretical approaches, analytical methods and innovative techniques. Results of recent research on high-resolution and well-dated palaeoenvironmental archives for proxy data have been used to understand the climatic variability at different scales of resolution. We trace the regional changes in Holocene palaeohydrology, mostly regulated by monsoonal precipitation, and their effects on the landscape, and highlight the occurrence of short-term climatic events, arid or humid that may have had disruptive consequences on human communities. The contribution also discusses the cultural dynamics that occurred in those regions because the latter were exploited by hunter/ gatherer groups from the onset of the Holocene until historical times. A reconstruction of patterns of human adjustment to climatic variability is here presented, focusing on key processes such as the origin of food production, social complexity and power, and the rise and fall of complex polities and interregional networks.Résumé Cette contribution présente les changements environnementaux survenus au cours des dix derniers millénaires dans une vaste région de l'Afrique du Nord, englobant le Sahara Central, la vallée du Nile, et la Corne de l'Afrique. Ces zones sont Afr Archaeol Rev (2015) 32:301-333 d'une importance particulière, car ce sont là que les processus de développement socio-économiques se sont initialement produits sur le continent. Une revue à jour de la recherche paléoclimatique est proposée dans le but de mettre en évidence de nouvelles approches théoriques, méthodes analytiques et techniques innovantes. Les résultats de recherches récentes sur des archives paléoenvironnementales à haute résolution et bien datées ont été utilisées pour comprendre la variabilité climatique à différentes échelles, traçant les changements régionaux dans la paléohydrologie de l'Holocène, principalement régis par les précipitations de mousson, et leurs effets sur le paysage et soulignant l'apparition de courts événements climatiques, aride ou humide, qui ont pu avoir des conséquences perturbatrices sur les communautés humaines. Cette contribution aborde également les dynamiques culturelles qui ont eu lieu dans ces régions depuis qu'elles ont été exploitées par des groupes de chasseurs/cueilleurs du début de l'Holocène aux périodes historiques. Une reconstruction des schémas d'adaptation humaine aux variations climatiques est présentée ici, en se concentrant sur des processus clés, tels que l'origine de la production alimentaire, la complexité sociale et le pouvoir; ainsi que sur l'essor et la chute de systèmes politiques complexes et de ...

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Section: The Greater Nile Valleymentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene Supra-Regional Environmental Changes as Trigger for Major Socio-Cultural Processes in Northeastern Africa and the Sahara

Gatto

Zerboni

2015

Afr Archaeol Rev

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“…It is slightly carbonate only and belong to a gezira sand (Figs 5A, 6A) formed in the Late Pleistocene as a result of the Nile accumulation, most probably by a high-energy braided river (Stanley and Warne, 1993;Welc and Marks, 2014;Welc, 2016). Almost along the entire cross-section, this sand is overlain by a thick clay -the lake sediments that were formed in the Holocene (Stanley and Warne 1993;Welc and Marks, 2014;Welc, 2016). Clay sediments occurring in the northern, marginal part of the ancient lake are ash-grey to blue in colour and contain a significant amount of dispersed organic matter and calcium carbonate.…”

Section: Geological Structure and History Of The Northern Part Of Thementioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene Lake Sediments as a Source of Building Material in Ancient Egypt; Archeometric Evidence from Wadi Tumilat (Nile Delta)

2017

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The Tell el-Retaba archaeological site is located in the middle part of Wadi Tumilat, which extends along the north-eastern margin of the Nile Delta. It contains fragments of fortified and domestic objects of the ancient fortress and other constructions built of mud bricks. The establishment and functioning of the fortress is dated at the times of the reign of two great pharaohs, Ramesses II and Ramesses III (13 th and 12 th centuries BC). The grain size composition of the sediments used for mud brick production had significant influence on their physical and mechanical properties, which was used by the ancient Egyptians for the improvement of bricks. The finest fractions, clay and silt, which generally comprise clay minerals and organic matter played a significant role. These components significantly influenced the mud brick properties and resulted in a structural cohesion of the material. The second important component of mud bricks were coarse fractions -sand and gravel. The source of material used for brick production were the natural sediments located in the vicinity of the fortress, i.e. the Holocene lake clay and the Pleistocene gravel and sand of the gezira formation, deposited by a braided river. Clay sediments have a variable lithology as can be deduced from grain size composition of mud bricks and their properties. This variability was caused by a variable regime of the Nile, which supplied material to the lake basin. Geological studies were used to recognize ancient environment and morphology of the area, and to find clay, sand and gravel open-pits that existed in the area. The fortress site was selected optimally in relation to the landscape morphology and close vicinity of the source of basic material and water used for mud brick production. The area around the fortress was substantially transformed by humans due to settlement.

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“…Some social events were notably in synchrony or were closely and intricately correlated with climate change. For example, studies have found that climate change has had an impact on agricultural production, population migration, economic fluctuation and peasant uprisings, and has even led to the replacement of dynasties, social vicissitudes and civilization collapse (Weiss and Bradley, 2001; Zhang et al ., 2007, 2015; Lee and Zhang, 2010; Butzer, 2012; Amorosi et al ., 2013; Hsiang et al ., 2013; Buckley et al ., 2014; Chung et al ., 2014; Pei and Zhang, 2014; Pei et al ., 2016; Welc and Marks, 2014; Zheng et al ., 2014). These studies have explained the natural factors leading to the occurrence of historical events (deMenocal, 2001; Haug et al ., 2003; Büntgen et al ., 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To what extent did changes in temperature affect China's socioeconomic development from the Western Han Dynasty to the Five Dynasties period?

Fang

2020

J Quaternary Science

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Analysing the contribution of climate and non‐climate change factors to social development and the occurrence of historical events represents important research on the impact of climate change. This study identifies combinations of social subsystem indices affected by temperature changes using the conceptual framework of food security, a priori knowledge and logical reasoning to statistically analyse three 10‐year data series (grain harvest grades, famine indices and economic levels) from the Western Han Dynasty to the Five Dynasties period of ancient China (210 bc to 960 ad). The results are as follows. For 94 of the 118 decades in the study period, social development was relatively directly related to temperature effects. On a decadal scale, against a cold background, grain production was closely related to temperature conditions in 40.7% of all decades. Economic prosperity and depressions in 5.1 and 21.2% of these decades, respectively, were directly related to temperature effects. Against a warm background, grain production was closely related to temperature conditions in 39% of all decades. Economic prosperity and depressions in 22 and 8.5% of these decades, respectively, were directly related to the temperature effects. The century and decadal‐scale characteristics were the same. Specifically, when mostly negative combinations of natural–socioeconomic factors dominated, the proportion of decades was slightly higher in cold than in warm periods. This case study enables a scientific understanding of the effect of changes in mean climate values/trends on social development and further demonstrates the different effects of the climate change process and mechanism. Climate cooling and warming may bring more positive than negative impacts in some regions and more negative than positive impacts in others. Complex feedback may amplify or reduce the impact of climate cooling and warming. Climate that evolves unfavourably has an impact more strongly correlated with the socioeconomic system's vulnerability and adaptability. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Climate change at the end of the Old Kingdom in Egypt around 4200 BP: New geoarchaeological evidence

Cited by 71 publications

References 36 publications

Holocene Supra-Regional Environmental Changes as Trigger for Major Socio-Cultural Processes in Northeastern Africa and the Sahara

Holocene Supra-Regional Environmental Changes as Trigger for Major Socio-Cultural Processes in Northeastern Africa and the Sahara

Holocene Lake Sediments as a Source of Building Material in Ancient Egypt; Archeometric Evidence from Wadi Tumilat (Nile Delta)

To what extent did changes in temperature affect China's socioeconomic development from the Western Han Dynasty to the Five Dynasties period?

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