Historical Perspective

Dear diary, 

For as long as I can remember being a farmer has been incredibly hard work, the amount of physical work required is exhausting. The other day, a friend of mine spoke about this new piece of agricultural machinery called a plough. This wooden tool is used to till the soil and prepare it for planting using an animal to pull it around, using it could cut the work in half. When my friend told me this, I was skeptical because for as long as I can remember us farmers have tilled our soil by hand using a pick. I told him that he was probably misinformed and went on with my day. Later, I went to the marketplace to buy some new bowls as some of my old ones had cracked. I noticed that many were lining up behind our local carpenter’s booth, I asked a man nearby why the line was so long, and he told me it was because many farmers were interested in commissioning a plough. I couldn’t believe it! This tool really did exist but I knew that this product would probably be expensive so I wanted to make sure that I would get my money’s worth if I chose to buy one. A week later I asked a fellow farmer if I could borrow his plough for a small patch of land I wanted to prepare for planting. With his help I attached the plough to my strongest ox, I then commanded the ox to walk forward while I stood behind it holding the plough in place. I was amazed with how much easier and faster it was to till the soil, we in Egypt had never used animals for this kind of farm work before. As result of this incredible invention I had more time to do other important work around the farm such as plant my seeds and feed my animals. It also helped me to produce larger crop yields thus helping me sell more produce which is extremely important since we farmers are very low on the social hierarchy and our taxes are incredibly high. The only downside of this invention is that like many things it is not made to last, since Egypt is not known for its big trees the plow is a flimsy and often needs replacing. However, since this agricultural machinery is becoming more and more popular as well as essential for farmers, it is not as expensive as it once was. Carpenters and inventors are constantly trying to improve it, recently I’ve heard talk about tipping a plough with bronze so that it moves more easily through the soil. I can’t wait to see what other inventions are made to help make farming easier and more effective. For now, I will continue to happily use my plough and hope that this year’s flood contributes to a good and bountiful harvest. That’s all for this entry, the invention of the plough makes me truly proud to be an Egyptian and happier and more satisfied with my work as a farmer.

Museum Exhibit: Continuity and Change

 Various factors caused the decline of ancient Egypt, three of these were, Egypt’s lack of resources for military weapons, the civil war that caused Nubia to step into power and the failure of the Nile river floods which significantly impacted agriculture.

The iron weapons created by the Hittites are an important artifact depicting the fall of the ancient Egyptian civilization. The Hittites were strong opponents of the Egyptians, in the 19^th Dynasty they along with other rivals of ancient Egypt began to transition from weapons of bronze to weapons of iron. This was a problem because the Egyptians had little to no sources of this new material in their own land, thus making them easier to attack.[1] Upgrading weapons of war has always been important for many civilizations and continues to be today. We can compare the transition of bronze to iron, to that of guns to chemical and atomic warfare. While the change/upgrade of these weapons is different the concept is still the same with the goal of having more success than the enemy in battle. The continuity of this goal can have both positive and negative effects, for example the use of chemical warfare helped civilizations in World War I to win important battles. However, this thinking also contributed to more and more violent deaths on the battlefield and have unintentionally harmed thousands of civilians. Looking back at the transition from weapons of bronze to weapons of iron, it took a very long time for many civilizations to discover the importance of iron. This is because many civilizations saw this material as an inferior metal since weapons made of iron alone were not as hard or durable of those made of bronze.[2] But once iron became essential for warfare, many civilizations such as Egypt began to decline because they could not keep up.

A second artifact that highlights the decline of ancient Egypt are hieroglyphics containing
pictures of Nubian Pharaohs. In 1200 BCE Egypt broke out into a civil war which would plague the civilization for decades and greatly weaken it. As a result of this war, Nubia (a long-time colony of Egypt) rose up and took over all of Egypt, uniting their kingdoms in approximately 720 BCE.[3] From then on Nubian culture began to fuse with that of the Egyptians, thus causing a decline in ancient Egyptian culture. Nowadays, most civilizations do not take over another (this was a much more common occurrence in ancient times), however large groups of people from a particular culture often immigrate to North America in hope for a better life. As a result, these different cultures also begin to fuse, just like the Nubians and the Egyptians. For example, there are large groups of Mexicans in Texas, U.S.A and as a result of these two cultures merging, this state is famous for its “Tex-Mex” cuisine which combines Mexican and American cooking styles. Reflecting on the merging of the Nubians and Egyptians also brings to our attention how we have now changed our perspectives of diversity and the blending of cultures. While this was frowned upon in the past and people of different nationalities were often segregated. We now strive to treat everyone (regardless of their ethnicity) as equals and governments now applaud the contributions different cultures make to society. Taking this into consideration, this change has been positive but also painfully slow which is why we must all do our part to contribute to its success.

The final artifact I have chosen to help depict the decline of ancient Egypt is a chiselled piece of artwork from the tomb of a high priest of a man harvesting wheat. Besides evolving weapons of war and foreign invasion there was a final nail that needed to be hammered into ancient Egypt’s coffin. This was climate change and the failure of the Nile river, towards the end of this empire the Nile stopped flooding annually and when it did the water levels were still a lot lower than usual. This disrupted agriculture in Egypt and resulted in much smaller crop yields since this made the soil much dryer making it difficult for produce to grow.[4] As a result, Egypt started to focus more on agriculture rather than raising live animals and cattle because ultimately these took more effort to maintain and there were little resources to go around. This may be why no cattle is seen in this work of art which is thought to be made during this same time period. Today, live animals are still harder to maintain than produce and crops, also they continue to require much more energy and resources. For the most part, this continuity is negative because humans continue to over-use the earth resources and if we can’t find a better and more efficient way to raise livestock, food will become more and more expensive. This could then lead to famine as well as create a bigger gap between the rich and the poor, just like it did for ancient Egypt. 

 In conclusion, these three artifacts showcase various reasons for the decline of ancient Egypt, they also point out continuity and changes between the ancient and modern worlds. Advancing technology, foreign invasion and climate change were three things that brought the fall of ancient Egypt. And if we are not careful at least two of these things could be bring the downfall of many modern civilizations today.

 

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[1]                Aidan Dodson, “Egypt: The End of a Civilisation,” BBC, February 17, 2011, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_end_01.shtml

[2]                History.com Editors, “Iron Age,” History, January 3, 2018, 

https://www.history.com/topics/pre-history/iron-age

[3]                Dodson, “Egypt: The End of a Civilization,” https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_end_01.shtml

[4]                “How did climate change influence the rise of ancient Egypt” DailyHistory.org, October 3, 2021, https://dailyhistory.org/How_did_climate_change_influence_the_rise_of_ancient_Egypt

Bibliography:

A scene depicting a harvest at the tomb of Petosiris. Carving and paint on stone. From Climate in Arts & History, https://www.science.smith.edu/climatelit/nile-river-flood-failure-in-ptolemaic-ancient-egypt-c-300-bce/(accessed December 17, 2021). 

 

A scene of Nubian king in the 25^th dynasty. Paint on stone. From Egypt Guide, https://www.egyptprivatetourguide.com/egyptian-facts/ancient-egypt-nubians-mix-ancient-egyptians/ (accessed December 17, 2021).

 

Dodson, Aidan. “Egypt: The End of a Civilisation.” BBC. February 17, 2011. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_end_01.shtml

 

History.com Editors. “Iron Age.” History. January 3, 2018. 

https://www.history.com/topics/pre-history/iron-age

 

Hittites: Iron Weapons. Photograph of ancient artifacts. From ThingLink.com, https://www.thinglink.com/scene/567063609100730369 (accessed December 17, 2021). 

 

“How did climate change influence the rise of ancient Egypt.” DailyHistory.org. October 3, 2021. https://dailyhistory.org/How_did_climate_change_influence_the_rise_of_ancient_Egypt

 

Environmental Factors of Civilizational Decline

 

    The Nile River had always been an important water source for the ancient Egyptians. This river would flood annually, if the flood was too low, it could compromise the crop yields. This is exactly what happened towards the end of this empire. As a result of diminishing monsoons, the Nile started to flood less and less making Egypt much dryer than it once was. This destroyed the agricultural system and lead to wide-spread famine. Both climate change and natural disasters (specifically floods and monsoons) contributed to the decline of ancient Egypt. As was previously mentioned, the decline of monsoons near ancient Egypt caused the Nile to flood less which caused Egyptian soil to become dry. This made it harder for farmers to grow crops and started to cause food shortages. 

    Ancient Egypt responded to these environmental factors by focusing more on agriculture rather than raising live animals and cattle because ultimately these took more effort to maintain and there were little resources to go around. As a result, the decline in floods and monsoons the land in Egypt became very dry, so much so that even parts of the Nile began to dry up. People started to live closer and closer to sources of water because if you were too far life was very difficult. The gap between those who wealthy and those who were poor also started to increase since food became very expensive. 

    There are several similarities between ancient Egypt and modern civilizations when it comes to environmental factors and their effects. For example, ancient Egypt got a lot dryer as a result of climate change, this also occurs with modern civilizations such as Cape Town, the capital of South Africa. This city suffered from a three-year rain-deficit from 2015-2017, this caused the land to become extremely dry. The situation was so crucial that the city's water supply dropped to 20% in 2018. During the decline of ancient Egypt, the price of daily living when up as a result of natural disasters, this is something that continues to happen today in modern civilizations. For example, a 2010 earthquake that hit Chile caused the products available in supermarkets to fall by 32%. This made certain products with limited availability very expensive. As a result of climate change ancient Egypt grew very concerned about its future. This is another thing it shares with many present-day civilizations. Nowadays, governments all over the world are becoming more concerned about the effects of climate change. Many are desperately looking for a solution in order to avoid the same fate as ancient Egypt.

Bibliography: 

 

Cavallo, Alberto, Eduardo, Cavallo, and Roberto Rigobon. Prices and Supply Disruptions During Natural Disasters. Massachusetts: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2013. 

 

"How did climate change influence the rise of ancient Egypt" DailyHistory.org. October 3, 2021. https://dailyhistory.org/How_did_climate_change_influence_the_rise_of_ancient_Egypt

 

Pascale, Salvatore, Kapnick, Sarah, Delworth, Thomas, and Cooke, William. "Increasing risk of another Cape Town ‘Day Zero’ drought in the 21st century" PNAS. November 9, 2020. https://www.pnas.org/content/117/47/29495

Which type of factor contributed most to the decline of your chosen civilization: social, economic, or political?

Political and social factors had the greatest impact in the decline of ancient Egypt. The first crack in the civilization’s foundation appeared after the 19^th Dynasty when the Hittites and other rivals started to upgrade their weapons from bronze to iron. This was a problem because the Egyptians had little to no sources of this material in their own land, thus making them easier to attack. More cracks started to appear in 1200 BC when Egypt broke out into a civil war in the far south. As a result, from 1070 BC onwards, Egypt was split into two kingdoms, one was ruled by the pharaoh while the other was ruled by the high priest. Egypt continued being plagued with civil war for decades, they became so weak that as a result, Nubia (a long-time colony of Egypt) rose up and took over all of Egypt, uniting their kingdoms in approximately 720 BC. 

Despite this, Egypt could not maintain the peace because some 30 years later the nation was facing a brutal war with the Assyrians who invaded many of Egypt’s cities. This war lasted some 140 years which proved to be extremely costly since Egypt began to rely heavily on Greek-mercenaries for aid rather than their own subjects and warriors. At last, Egypt fell to the Persian empire in 525 BC and would never again stand on its own two feet. Since war and invasion were the main two causes of Egypt’s defeat it is safe to say that both political and social factors played the greatest role in the fall of this once great nation. 

Bibliography:

 

Dodson, Aidan. “Egypt: The End of a Civilisation” BBC. February 17, 2011. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_end_01.shtml