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…

Note: An extended version of this episode is available at Patreon.com/egyptpodcast.

The History of Egypt Podcast:

• Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.


• Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.


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• Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.


• Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.


• Logo image: The “Starving Bedouin” from the Pyramid of Unas. Photo by Sarah Murray.

Select Bibliography:

1. M. Bárta, Analyzing Collapse: The Rise and Fall of the Old Kingdom (2019).


2. B. Bell, ‘The Oldest Records of the Nile Floods’, The Geographical Journal 136 (1970), 569—573.


3. K. W. Butzer, ‘When the Desert Was in Flood: Environmental History of the Giza Plateau’, AERAgram 5 (2001), 3—5.


4. 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.


5. N. Kanawati and J. Swinton, Egypt in the Sixth Dynasty: Challenges and Responses (2018).


6. 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.


7. M. van de Mieroop, A History of Ancient Egypt (2nd edn, 2021).


8. N. Moeller, ‘The First Intermediate Period: A Time of Famine and Climate Change?’, Egypt and the Levant 15 (2005), 153—167.


9. 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.


10. 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.


11. 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.


12. P. Tallet and M. Lehner, The Red Sea Scrolls: How Ancient Papyri Reveal the Secrets of the Pyramids (2021).

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