A caravan surprised by a sandstorm in front of the Sphinx, 1849 painting by Johann Jakob Frey.
Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
“Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.” – Will Durant
The last centuries of ancient Egypt were tumultuous times. Coastal towns were abandoned, famine fueled social unrest, and after a series of disastrous defeats of the Egyptians by the Roman army, the last pharaoh, the famously beautiful Cleopatra, committed suicide in 30 BCE. The cause may have been a series of major volcanic eruptions, possibly on the other side of the world, that triggered a severe drought in Egypt.
Archaeologists have been excavating the city of Berenice on Egypt’s Red Sea coast since 1994. Berenice was a kind of combination of city and military base and of strategic importance. Founded between 275 and 260 BCE, the town was abandoned just a few decades later.
In the desert environment,…