Pages: 315-331 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp216315331

The Middle Holocene epoch in northeastern Africa was marked by a steady trend towards aridization. However, the transformation of ecosystems and natural landscapes was gradual and had a complex nature. This change directly affected the development of the first ancient Egyptian centralized state as well as the development of its resource base beyond the Nile Valley. This study addresses the problem of using ancient Egyptian epigraphic sources (expeditionary inscriptions) for the study of both paleolandscapes and ecosystems of the Western (Libyan) Desert and the possible socio-economic impact of their change. The author studies several graffiti, which are believed to have preserved information on natural conditions near the Dakhla oasis and in the region of Wadi Toshka during the time of construction of the great pyramids (Fourth Dynasty). The author concludes that it is quite easy to make misleading assumptions when interpreting expeditionary artefacts. At the same time, as an example with an unusual toponym from the quarries near Wadi Toshka demonstrates, even the shortest graffiti can provide researchers with important additional information on possible changes in the ancient climate and landscape.

Keywords: Western Desert, Old Kingdom, paleolandscapes, paleoclimate, expeditionary inscriptions, petroglyphs, trade routes, quarries

Information about author:

Maksim Lebedev (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Rozhdestvenka St., 12, Moscow, 107031, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]