The Rise of the Roman Empire
Major volcanic eruptions may have paved the way for the Roman Empire’s success in Egypt and the Middle East.
These eruptions helped destroy the Ptolemaic Kingdom on the Nile, which ruled in the Hellenistic period, scientists say.
The domestic unrest and ensuing uprising led to the Kingdom’s destruction in Egypt and North Africa 30 BC.
Researchers at Yale University were able to discover a link between volcanic eruptions and region by combining historical accounts with climate data.
‘So far, Hellenistic history has never had any climate component,’ Joseph Manning, a historian at Yale University told the meeting of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, Austria, last week.
‘There were revolts and social unrest from 245 BC onwards, down to the mid-first century BC.’
‘One involved the entire river valley along the Nile for 20 years.’
The kingdom was created following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, were land was divided amongst his generals.
Ptolemy, son of Lagos took control of Egypt and governed the country until 305 BC.
The Dynasty then ruled in Egypt for nearly 300 years, until the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC.
During its downfall, the Kingdom suffered political unrest, driven by starvation and famine.
Although the Ptolemies introduced free-threshing wheat, a labor saving grain that should have significantly improved the quality of life, history has not been kind to them.
‘History had judged the Ptolemies to be bad rulers,’ says Manning.
The post The Rise of the Roman Empire appeared first on LewRockwell.
Leave a Reply