TY - JOUR

T1 - "Years of Hunger" in the Orix Nome: on the Egyptian Arable Farming in the First Intermediate Period and Early Middle Kingdom

AU - Demidchik, Arkady E.

N1 - The Russian Science Foundation's grant 23-28-00155 "The Culture of Mutual Assistance in the Ancient Egyptian Civilization (III-first half of the II millennium BC)".

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Throughout the Egyptian history of the III–II millennium BC, most written mentions of famines occur from the First Intermediate Period to the early Middle Kingdom, and such really happened then more often than usual. The article points out some of the reasons for this and clarifies the grounds for the restoration of food security under the XIIth dynasty. The newest data proves the deterioration of ecological conditions during this time period, to which arable farming was unable to adapt after the collapse of the Old Kingdom legal and economic system. For the “private farms” that are mentioned in the First Intermediate Period inscriptions, it was often difficult to formalize their rights to fertile lands and to gather seed grain, livestock and workers there as fast as it was necessary. In the absence of an established grain market and in the times when violence and robbery prevailed, even strong households often avoided expanding their plowing. Flow of workers to other sectors of economy and depopulation of Middle Egypt were also detrimental to arable farming. Of great historical interest is the latest reference to those famines – the autobiography of the nomarch Amenhotep in Beni Hasan. The famines were relieved not only by general environmental improvement, but also by the restoration of peace and order in the country, and above all the implementation of state economic regulation, including spreading and support of arable farming. Even in the times of crop failures, it preserved tillage wherever possible and quickly re-introduced it to the lands with restored fertility.

AB - Throughout the Egyptian history of the III–II millennium BC, most written mentions of famines occur from the First Intermediate Period to the early Middle Kingdom, and such really happened then more often than usual. The article points out some of the reasons for this and clarifies the grounds for the restoration of food security under the XIIth dynasty. The newest data proves the deterioration of ecological conditions during this time period, to which arable farming was unable to adapt after the collapse of the Old Kingdom legal and economic system. For the “private farms” that are mentioned in the First Intermediate Period inscriptions, it was often difficult to formalize their rights to fertile lands and to gather seed grain, livestock and workers there as fast as it was necessary. In the absence of an established grain market and in the times when violence and robbery prevailed, even strong households often avoided expanding their plowing. Flow of workers to other sectors of economy and depopulation of Middle Egypt were also detrimental to arable farming. Of great historical interest is the latest reference to those famines – the autobiography of the nomarch Amenhotep in Beni Hasan. The famines were relieved not only by general environmental improvement, but also by the restoration of peace and order in the country, and above all the implementation of state economic regulation, including spreading and support of arable farming. Even in the times of crop failures, it preserved tillage wherever possible and quickly re-introduced it to the lands with restored fertility.

KW - Ancient Egypt

KW - Early Middle Kingdom

KW - First Intermediate Period

KW - arable farming

KW - crop failures

KW - famine

KW - socio-economic system

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85192731173&origin=inward&txGid=b12405060341422584e28d42358d22a2

UR - https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=54102191

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/7a1d24e8-dfa8-3394-af1b-a6d8140fcaf1/

U2 - 10.31857/S086919080024391-7

DO - 10.31857/S086919080024391-7

M3 - Article

VL - 2023

SP - 21

EP - 32

JO - Восток. Афро-азиатские общества: история и современность

JF - Восток. Афро-азиатские общества: история и современность

SN - 0869-1908

IS - 3

M1 - 2

ER -