Why did it all go so wrong? We’ve explored the historical overview of Old Kingdom decline; but what was driving it? There are three major factors that caused this fall. Two originate in the climate, the third comes from the political structure of the kingdom and its society. From the deserts of Sahara to the depths of the Nile, we uncover the causes of decline…
Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.
Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.
Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.
Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.
Outro music: Toto – Africa (Bardcore) by Stravitticus.
Logo image: The “Starving Bedouin” from the Pyramid of Unas. Photo by Sarah Murray.
Discover amazing cosmetics based on ancient Egyptian products and recipes, with Ra Egyptian! Use code EGYPT to enjoy 30% off your order!
Priests
Arthur Markham
James Bowlby
Veronica Moreno
Ashley Welch
Nidden
Kyla
Andy & Chelsea Lientz
Meicost Ettal
Jolle Kirpensteijn
TJ Kahn
Terri Jones
Eric J Holmes
Linda Yancey
Hereditary Nobles
Einir Aka Jen
Sam Russo
Sean Captain
Jeffrey Goodman
Ann Sharp
Celesta Ellis
Bill Thoet
Ellen Chamberlin
Tom Perez
Sascha Behr
Sydney Smith
Donald Johnston
Joel Hadary
Brian K Barnes
Joseph Stashkevetch
Misty Bastian
Grace Devery
Bethany Killian
Lucas Wilson
TV Liew
Rae Knowler
Joseph Snow
Ronald Hall
Rodney Shuff
William Tracy
Setnakht
Andrew Flaherty
Rabia Altaf
Shawn Knight
Stephen King
Kate Potter
David Pepper
Inkymonkey
Karin W.
James Waters
Peter Culicover
Katherine Lewis
Pernille Engberg
Ra Egyptian
Elna Nilsson
Skip Howard
Sandi & Stuart
Chrissi Ross
Nancy Bastek
Bibliography
Rainfall in the mid-late Old Kingdom:
- K. W. Butzer, ‘When the Desert Was in Flood: Environmental History of the Giza Plateau’, AERAgram 5 (2001), 3—5.
- K. W. Butzer et al., ‘Urban Geoarchaeology and Environmental History at the Lost City of the Pyramids, Giza: Synthesis and Review’, Journal of Archaeological Science 40 (2013), 3340—3366.
- K. O. Kuraszkiewicz, ‘Architectural Innovations Influenced by Climatic Phenomena (4.2 KA Event) in the Late Old Kingdom (Saqqara, Egypt)’, Studia Quaternaria 33 (2016), 27—34.
- S. Rzepka et al., ‘Preliminary Report on Engineering Properties and Environmental Resistance of Ancient Mud Bricks from Tell el-Retaba Archaeological Site in the Nile Delta’, Studia Quaternaria 33 (2016), 47—56.
Select Bibliography:
- M. Bárta, Analyzing Collapse: The Rise and Fall of the Old Kingdom (2019).
- B. Bell, ‘The Oldest Records of the Nile Floods’, The Geographical Journal 136 (1970), 569—573.
- K. W. Butzer, ‘When the Desert Was in Flood: Environmental History of the Giza Plateau’, AERAgram 5 (2001), 3—5.
- K. W. Butzer, ‘Landscapes and Environmental History of the Nile Valley: A Critical Review and Prospectus’, in E. Bloxam and I. Shaw (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology (Oxford, 2020), 99—124.
- N. Kanawati and J. Swinton, Egypt in the Sixth Dynasty: Challenges and Responses (2018).
- K. O. Kuraszkiewicz, ‘Architectural Innovations Influenced by Climatic Phenomena (4.2 KA Event) in the Late Old Kingdom (Saqqara, Egypt)’, Studia Quaternaria 33 (2016), 27—34.
- M. van de Mieroop, A History of Ancient Egypt (2nd edn, 2021).
- N. Moeller, ‘The First Intermediate Period: A Time of Famine and Climate Change?’, Egypt and the Levant 15 (2005), 153—167.
- J. C. Moreno García, ‘Climatic Change or Sociopolitical Transformation? Reassessing Late 3rd Millennium BC in Egypt’, in J. C. Moreno García et al. (eds), 2200 BC – A Climatic Breakdown as a Cause for the Collapse of the Old World? 2 vols (2015), 79—94.
- S. Rzepka et al., ‘Preliminary Report on Engineering Properties and Environmental Resistance of Ancient Mud Bricks from Tell el-Retaba Archaeological Site in the Nile Delta’, Studia Quaternaria 33 (2016), 47—56.
- J.-D. Stanley et al., ‘Nile Flow Failure at the End of the Old Kingdom, Egypt: Strontium Isotopic and Petrologic Evidence’, Geoarchaeology 18 (2003), 395—402.
- P. Tallet and M. Lehner, The Red Sea Scrolls: How Ancient Papyri Reveal the Secrets of the Pyramids (2021).