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When the well runs dry: climatic instability and the abandonment of early Hellenistic Berenike

Part of: Classical Archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2021

Marek A. Woźniak  and
James A. Harrell
Marek A. Woźniak*
Affiliation:
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Poland
James A. Harrell
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo, USA
*
*Author for correspondence: ✉ wozniakarcheo@gmail.com
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Abstract

Evidence from a newly discovered well at Berenike, a Hellenistic port on Egypt's Red Sea coast, suggests that the late third-century BC hiatus in occupation may have resulted from a multi-year drought that caused the city's freshwater source to run dry. This climatic shift was probably triggered by a volcanic eruption in 209 BC, an event that also caused a failure of the Nile to flood, leading to the famine-induced revolt of 207–186 BC in Upper Egypt. The Berenike excavations have not only uncovered the first Hellenistic city on the East African coast, but have also contributed to a better understanding of the effect of natural disasters on ancient societies.

Keywords

EgyptRed SeaHellenistic periodclimate changevolcanic eruption
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 95 , Issue 380 , April 2021 , pp. 349 - 366
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

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