Was Ancient Egypt Wiped Out by a Mega-Drought?

Was Ancient Egypt Wiped Out by a Mega-Drought?

Analysis of deep sediments around the Nile River in Egypt has shown a massive drought 4,200 years ago contributed to the end of Egypt’s pyramid-building era, according to a new U.S. study.

A team of researchers looked at fossilized pollen and microscopic charcoal in a sediment core spanning 7,000 years of history, and compared changes with archaeological and historical records.

“The study geologically demonstrates that when deciphering past climates, pollen and other micro-organisms, such as charcoal, can augment or verify written or archaeological records—or they can serve as the record itself if other information doesn’t exist or is not continuous,” explained study co-author Benjamin Horton at the University of Pennsylvania in a press release.

The team used charcoal as an indicator of drought-associated fires, predicting a decline in wetland pollen and an increase in charcoal during arid conditions.

This isn't the first time I've heard this. One of my favorite teachers in High school talked about this possible scenario at length. It's interesting to note that drought may have brought down some of the Central and South American cultures as well. Or were a major contributing factor

I watched a documentary a few month back where one of the Archeologist read some hieroglyphs that stated the whole region suffered but Beer and Bread were still available.

Got to love them Ancient Egyptians for having the right priorities

reply to post by SLAYER69


I think I remember being taught in grade school that Egypt lost its status back in the old days because the major rivers dried up and/or the usually predictable flooding changed. Without looking it up on Wiki because I am feeling a little lazy I believe the capital was on the river and they eventually pretty much abandoned it and moved to a new capital further up/down the river. Then that city suffered drought as well pretty much... I don't think this is anythig new. Probably just science confirming what we already know.

But it does remind me of what is happening now in the central us with the mighty missisip... Funny how history seems to repeat itself...

reply to post by crazyguy2012


I have a somewhat out there theory on that. I think the poles shifted. [Not as drastically as many DOOM Sayers would have you believe] just a degree or so, just enough to screw up those ancient civilizations.

The Northern Ice age ice cap was over large parts of North America and Northern Europe. I suspect that it wasn't centered over the North pole as we know it today

Its funny how something as simple as bad weather can topple empires.

Wonder of our civilization has become advanced and robust enough to survive something like a mass famine.

reply to post by benrl


Sure. Our current civilization, is great, but even one catastrophe, like say Yellowstone, could throw it into chaos. Maybe something from the sun, also, like EMP.

I thought this was concensus

drought and war

sound familiar ?

There are some glyphs that mention parents eating their children during the time of the 'big drought' it was due to low rain fall in Ethiopia. (the source of the Nile)

Originally posted by benrl
Its funny how something as simple as bad weather can topple empires.

Wonder of our civilization has become advanced and robust enough to survive something like a mass famine.

I think with this years drought we will soon find out. I think we will be ok for a while. However, considering that this country (US) feeds a lot of other countries someone else might have to step in to aid the countries that are suffering. But of course if it is a climate change (which I believe will happen every couple hundred years) maybe the draughts in africa and such will end...

reply to post by crazyguy2012


We are a global community now with mass transportation. In this case, Technology can work for us. It seems reasonable to assume as some of Earth's regions become less productive others will become more productive.

It will just take more cooperation

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by crazyguy2012

 

We are a global community now with mass transportation. In this case, Technology can work for us. It seems reasonable to assume as some of Earth's regions become less productive others will become more productive.

It will just take more cooperation

Unfortunatly cooporation seems to be in short supply.And yea imo a prolonged drought can topple even a great civilization.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by crazyguy2012

 

I have a somewhat out there theory on that. I think the poles shifted. [Not as drastically as many DOOM Sayers would have you believe] just a degree or so, just enough to screw up those ancient civilizations.

The Northern Ice age ice cap was over large parts of North America and Northern Europe. I suspect that it wasn't centered over the North pole as we know it today

From the wiki on Milankovitch cycles

Milankovitch cycles

Identifying dominant factor Milankovitch believed that decreased summer insolation in northern high latitudes was the dominant factor leading to glaciation, which led him to (incorrectly) deduce an approximate 41ka period for ice ages.[16] Subsequent research has shown that the 100ka eccentricity cycle is more important, resulting in 100,000-year ice age cycles of the Quaternary glaciation over the last few million years.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by crazyguy2012

 

I have a somewhat out there theory on that. I think the poles shifted. [Not as drastically as many DOOM Sayers would have you believe] just a degree or so, just enough to screw up those ancient civilizations.

The Northern Ice age ice cap was over large parts of North America and Northern Europe. I suspect that it wasn't centered over the North pole as we know it today

So, would that be your explanation for this?

www.nytimes.c... om/2012/07/20/science/earth/severe-drought-expected-to-worsen-across-the-nation.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Published: July 19, 2012 Facebook Twitter Google+ E-mail Share Print Reprints KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The drought that has settled over more than half of the continental United States this summer is the most widespread in more than half a century. And it is likely to grow worse.

It's called a cycle. Liken it to females, or mother earth............this is just a dry cycle, and yes, it has happened before, and currently happening in the US.

I recall tourist finding cave drawings that the sands have covered up. These drawings are dated 6,000 years ago and are thought to be the most massive cave drawings on Earth. I know this does not add much to the op but it does show that whenever the drawings were done the was no sand covering it up. I will look further to where these where found.

reply to post by Sulie


Of course it's cyclical.
I've never denied that. It was just a theory of mine. The Earth's climate is very dynamic, always has been. Do you deny that it is a possibility?

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by crazyguy2012

 

I have a somewhat out there theory on that. I think the poles shifted. [Not as drastically as many DOOM Sayers would have you believe] just a degree or so, just enough to screw up those ancient civilizations.

The Northern Ice age ice cap was over large parts of North America and Northern Europe. I suspect that it wasn't centered over the North pole as we know it today

Hi SLAYER69,

I have little doubt that the scenario you describe - a devastating drought that came about as a result of a slight geographic shift of the Earth's poles - was indeed the case and I describe this and present the evidence in support of this event in my recent book, 'The Giza Prophecy' (Bear & Co, 2012).

In my view, however, the shift resulted in Giza being relocated around 6.5 degrees of latitude nearer to the equator via (relatively) rapid True Polar Wander. This TPW combined with a sudden axial tilt resulted in Egypt and the wider near East becoming much drier at this time, resulting in the eventual demise of the Old Kingdom civilisation of Egypt and other Near East Bronze Age III cultures.

I also argue that the ancient Egyptians, upon witnessing this change in the heavens, believed it would bring with it devastating floods and droughts that would threaten the very existence of the kingdom. In preparation of this and in an effort to give the kingdom the best chance to survive (to be reborn) after the worst effects of the calamity had passed, the ancient Egyptians set in motion The Osiris Project. This grand, trans-generational project required the construction of 14 massive pyramid Recovery Vaults (which, in time, would become the allegorical 14 dismembered body parts of Osiris) in which the ancient Egyptians would store everything that would be needed (seeds, stone vessels, tools, sacred texts as well as knowledge of math and astronomy) to ensure the kingdom would have the best chance of recovery, of being reborn again. It is little wonder that the pyramid-shaped capstone - the Benben - was named after the Bennu bird since this bird possessed the same qualities as the mythical Phoenix bird in that it represented the kingdom (through the agency of the Osiris, i.e. the Osiris Project) rising anew from the ashes of its destruction. In this sense the first giant pyramids of ancient Egypt were not so much the 'tomb of the king' but rather the 'womb of the kingdom'.

You can read more about The Osiris Project here and here.

Best wishes,

Scott Creighton

reply to post by Scott Creighton


Thanks Scott

That's very interesting. I think if one were to line up many of the world's ancient sites and tilt the line across the globe to the point of it being the equator and then overlap it with the Northern extent of the last ice age ice cap it would show itself as fitting nicely.

Also, there are many supposed ancient astronomical sites that just don't seem to really line up with much these days. I'm not going to go into the whole Sphinx/Leo argument here. I'm referring to many "Standing Stones" which are all over Europe and Eurasia and elsewhere etc...

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by Sulie

 

Of course it's cyclical.
I've never denied that. It was just a theory of mine. The Earth's climate is very dynamic, always has been. Do you deny that it is a possibility?

Nope, that is why I don't understand your whole thread.

It's pretty simple given the history of the earth, and what's proven.

Thanks for letting some of us know who don't know. Earth Science was a requirement for me when I was in High School. It's all elementary.

reply to post by Sulie


I appreciate you participating and posting your thoughts on the subject.

reply to post by Scott Creighton


[ex["Highlighting the ubiquitous appearance of 23.5-degree angles - the most important of the precessional angles encoded in the Giza pyramids - in classic works of art from antiquity through the present day including the work of Leonardo da Vinci and portraits of John the Baptist and George Washington, they reveal how this angle, the Great Pyramid, and its fateful message are tied to Freemasonry and other secret societies and how these groups may know of the coming polar shift. Concluding with the remarkable revelation triggered by the myth of Osiris that there may be an asyet- undiscovered 14th “recovery vault” on the Giza plateau, the authors show that the prophecy of Giza is a message of first importance to our own civilization."

Do I read you enjoy the same conspiratorial tone of your co-author Gary Osborn? Osborn claims that this knowledge was secretly past down to painters, the freemasons and other secret societies and that the below links are specific clues:

www.freewebs.com...
garyosborn.webs.com...
garyosborn.webs.com...
garyosborn.webs.com...
garyosborn.webs.com...

The Cave of Swimmers which was discovered by the Hungarian explorer László Almásy on whom the Movie "The English patient" is based on contains pictographs of neolithic people swimming. The pictographs are assumed to be created 10,000 years ago. Almásy did postulate that swimming scenes are real depictions of life at the time of painting and that there had been a climate change from temperate to xeric desert since that time.

The cave of swimmers has a different geology. It is located in granite, so it is not the place of a spring. But it is located at the bottom of a wadi, a valley which once contained a river. So it is a cave formed by the flowing water at the undercut slope. It is easy to understand, why peolpe would draw swimming people, while sitting at the banks of a river. A last piece in the puzzle is the question how the paintings remained in the extreme climate of the desert. It seems, the natural pigments of the colours can resist temperatur changes very good. Paintings on certain rocks, where the surface is eroded by temperature changes, are lost forever. But granite is rather resistant. And the last problem is light, especially ultraviolett light, which destroys many colours (bleaching). Almásy: descries the absence of pintings in the part of the cave, which is reached by sunlight. It seems that direct sunlight destroyed the paintings at this place.

Source




Prehistoric cave paintings in Tassili n'Ajjer shows that the Saharan Desert wasn't a desert always but rather a lush savannah which depeicted herds of cattle, large wild animals including crocodiles, and human activities such as hunting and dancing.