8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Volcanic Eruption Caused the Abandonment of the Ancient City of Berenike

In 275 BC, Egyptian King Ptolemy II (Philadelphos) established a shipping port on the coast of the Red Sea and named it after his mother, Berennike I. The most important reason for establishing this new port was that Ptolemy needed elephants. These were used in the war against the Seleucids in the Near East, which prevented the import of Indian elephants.

The geographical position of Berenike was particularly suitable as it was a natural harbor, protected from the prevailing northern winds by a large peninsula. From Berenice, there were land routes through the eastern desert to the Nile valley, protected by crossing stations (hydreumata). These provided the caravans with water and shelter.

During the Roman period, Berenike developed into a trading mall: spices, myrrh, frankincense, pearls, and textiles were shipped to Alexandria and Rome via Berenike.

As Berenike continued its development, it was interrupted by a period of abandonment of almost half a century before the first phase of the Hellenistic period, around 200 BC, until the city was reoccupied in the second half of the 2nd century BC.

Archaeologists researching an ancient well used by the city garrison in the fortified gate complex suggest that the city was abandoned due to climate change caused by a volcanic eruption.

volcanic eruption
Evidence from a newly discovered well in Berenice suggests that the city was abandoned at the end of the 3rd century BC due to years of drought caused by a volcanic eruption in 209, filling the stratosphere with sulfur gas and ash and changing the climate.

The eruption of an unidentified volcano in approximately 209 BC released large volumes of ash and sulfur into the stratosphere, according to a new report in the journal Antiquity.

This climatic event most likely disrupted the delicate climate of the Red Sea region, causing drought in Berenice, causing the wells to dry out and be buried with wind-blown sand.

Archaeologists methodically removed the thick layers of sand filling the well, where they found coins, amphorae, and other materials that could be dated, suggesting that the event occurred at the end of the 3rd century BC.

The ceramics found in the sand can be traced back to the same era, probably during the reign of Ptolemy III or IV, who reigned from 246 to 222 BC and from 221 to 204, respectively.

The city was later re-occupied in the second half of the 2nd century BC, becoming an even more prosperous Roman port city, however, by the mid-6th century, the city was abandoned again and was never re-occupied.

İnformation about Berenike source: The Berenike project 

Related Articles

The Rock Tombs Found by Chance in the Al-Hamidiyah Necropolis

12 May 2021

12 May 2021

A series of rock tombs carved into the slope of a mountain have been discovered in the Al-Hamidiyah necropolis on...

Egypt unearths 2,300-year-old remains of Greco-Roman town in Alexandria

28 August 2021

28 August 2021

An Egyptian archeological team discovered the ruins of a Greco-Roman residential and commercial town in the north coast city of...

Farmer was Discovers 2600-year-old Stone Slab of Pharaoh Apries

19 June 2021

19 June 2021

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced that a farmer in Ismailia, Egypt, uncovered a 2,600-year-old stone monument erected by Pharaoh...

Dominican mission discovers 1,305-meter Greco-Roman ancient rock-cut tunnel in Alexandria

4 November 2022

4 November 2022

A Greco-Roman tunnel measuring 1,305 meters in length was discovered beneath Tapuziris Magna, an Ancient Egyptian city, by an Egyptian-Dominican...

A long-lost branch of the Nile helped in building Egypt’s pyramids – Scientists Say

1 September 2022

1 September 2022

The Giza Pyramids are one of the world’s most iconic cultural landscapes, and they have fascinated humans for thousands of...

Egyptian archaeologists discovered 16 meters long ancient papyrus with spells from the Book of the Dead

19 January 2023

19 January 2023

Archaeologists working in Egypt’s Saqqara region have unearthed a 16-meter-long ancient papyrus for the first time in a century. Saqqara...

The World’s First Pet Cemetery May Have Been Found in Ancient Egypt

2 March 2021

2 March 2021

Hundreds of animal skeletons found in Berenice harbor in 2011 made researchers think that this place was used as a...

A New Study: The Great Sphinx of Giza may have been blown into shape by the wind

1 November 2023

1 November 2023

The theory, occasionally raised by others, that the Great Sphinx of Giza may have been a lion-shaped natural landform that...

Famous Egyptologist Zahi Hawass Wants to See Hieroglyphs as an İntegral Part of The Curriculum

23 February 2021

23 February 2021

The Egyptian council of ministers is discussing the introduction of archaeological and tourist materials in the education curriculum to help...

Ramses the Great

7 May 2021

7 May 2021

Ramses the Great was the name given to Ramses II, also known as Ramesses or Rameses. He was the third...

World’s First Pregnant Ancient Egyptian Mummy has been Discovered

29 April 2021

29 April 2021

Experts from the Polish Academy of Sciences aim to research all mummies in museums as part of the Warsaw Mummy...

A burial complex dating to the Second Intermediate Period has been discovered at the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis at Luxor

12 April 2023

12 April 2023

At the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis in Luxor, a family burial complex from the Second Intermediate Period has been found....

Ancient Egyptian cult drank a trippy mix of drugs, human blood, and bodily fluids

7 June 2023

7 June 2023

Researchers have identified some of the components of found in an ancient Bes vase dating back to Ptolemaic era Egypt....

Ancient Egyptian Kohl recipes more diversified than previously thought

28 April 2022

28 April 2022

Researchers analyzed the contents of 11 kohl containers from the Petrie Museum collection in London and have revealed that the...

Khufu Boat moved to its New Museum by Smart Vehicle

8 August 2021

8 August 2021

A 4,600-year-old intact wooden boat bearing the name of an Egyptian pharaoh, Khufu, was transported to a new museum about...