Yale professor to discuss volcanic eruptions, the Nile and social unrest in Ancient Egypt

How did volcanic eruptions impact the flow of the Nile River and affect social unrest in Ancient Egypt?

Joseph Manning, the Simpson Professor of Classics and History at Yale University, will explain in a free, public lecture at 7 p.m. Oct. 30, in 100 D.P. Corbett Business Building.

Manning observed that explosive volcanic eruptions resulted in a reduction in precipitation in Ptolemaic Egypt (305–30 BCE). This was particularly dramatic in the case of the monsoon that drove the annual flood of the Nile.

Manning and his colleagues demonstrated the connection between volcanic eruptions, Nile River flood suppression and resulting social unrest.

The University of Maine’s Hudson Museum, Anthropology Department, Climate Change Institute and Graduate School are sponsoring Manning’s lecture. For additional information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207.581.1904.