Polish scientists will study the climate of Egypt thousands of years ago

Eight several metres deep boreholes in northern Egypt have been drilled by a team of Polish scientists led by Prof. Leszek Marks of the Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw. Detailed analysis of the obtained cores will allow the reconstruction of climate in this area over the last 10,000 years.

Drilling was carried out in February in the area of Lakes Edku, Borolus and Mariout in the northern Nile Delta. Articularly important, however, will be the analyses of geological cores from the Fayoum Oasis - from the southern shore part of Lake Moeris (Birket Qarun), as these cores have provided interesting information.

Previous researchers have made a number of geological drillings in the area, but without analysis as detailed as planned by the Polish team. Now, from only 8 cores researchers have collected more than 1,000 samples. Some of them will be tested in Polish laboratories by specialists in various fields of science.

"No one has ever obtained similarly complete cores from this area, or subjected them to such a detailed analysis. Therefore, the results of our project will be crucial for the reconstruction of the natural environment in Egypt, also with regard to research on the history of Egyptian civilization" - explained project coordinator, Dr. Fabian Welc of the Institute of Archaeology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw.

"We will date the samples using the radioactive carbon C14 method, we will examine the residual remains of plants, diatoms, and molluscs. In addition, we will perform a number of specialized analyses, including granulometric, lithological and geochemical tests. As a result, we will be able to precisely trace the changes in the environment of ancient Egypt over several millennia" - said Dr. Welc.

8 Rulers of Ancient Egypt: Most Precise Timeline Revealed

By Laura Poppick, Staff Writer   |   September 03, 2013

The most precise chronology of Early Egypt yet suggests the country formed much more quickly than previously thought.

The new finding reveals a robust timeline for the first eight kings and queens of Egypt, including, in order of succession Aha, Djer, Djet, Queen Merneith, Den, Anedjib, Semerkhet and Qa'a. The accession of King Aha to the throne is often thought to define the start of the Egyptian state, with the new study suggesting (with 68 percent probability) that he became king between 3111 B.C. and 3045 B.C.

Existing timelines of Egypt's transition from a nomadic community along the Nile River to a permanent state are mainly based on changes in pottery artifacts found at various locations around the country. However, such timelines are flawed due to the subjectivity required to distinguish one pottery style from another, and because styles might vary from site to site without signifying a change in time period.

To create a more reliable timeline, archaeologists based at the University of Oxford have developed the most comprehensive chronological analyses of Early Egypt artifacts yet based on a computer model of existing and newly measured radiocarbon dates. The analyses suggest the rise to statehood occurred between 200 and 300 years faster than previously thought, beginning between 3800 B.C. and 3700 B.C., rather than the past estimate of 4000 B.C. The findings, which also suggest the preceding Neolithic period lasted longer than thought, are detailed Sept. 4 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A.