Analyzing Collapse: The Rise and Fall of the Old Kingdom

by Miroslav Bárta

This book explores the long-term trends in the development of what was the first complex civilization in history, the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2650–2200 BC), the period that saw the construction of eternal monuments such as Djoser’s Step Pyramid complex in Saqqara, the pyramids of the great Fourth Dynasty kings in Giza, and spectacular tombs of high officials throughout Egypt. The present study aims to show that the historical trajectory of the period was marked by specific processes that characterize most of the world’s the role of the ruling elite, the growth of bureaucracy, the proliferation of interest groups, and adaptation to climate change, to name but a few―and the way that these processes held the germ of ultimate collapse. The case is made that the rise and fall of the Old Kingdom state is of relevance to the study of the anatomy of development of any complex civilization.

Genres: Egyptology, Egypt

270 pages, Hardcover

Published January 14, 2020

About the author

Miroslav Bárta graduated in Egyptology and Prehistoric and Early Historic Archaeology at Charles University in Prague. Ph.D. studies in Prague and Hamburg. In 2002 habilitation in Egyptology and since 2009 professor of Egyptology. Main fields of research: archeology and history of the third and second millenia B.C., landscape archeology in antiquity, rise and fall of complex societies, interdisciplinary research, archaeological background of the Old Testament. Since 1991 excavating in Egypt, 2003-2008 research of the Western Desert, since 2009 working also in Sudan. In 2002 led the first detailed satelite mapping of the pyramid fields of Abusir, Saqqara and Dahshur. 2003-2004 teaching at UPenn, Philadelphia, PA.

Miroslav Bárta vystudoval egyptologii a pravěkou a raně středověkou archeologii na Univerzitě Karlově v Praze. Po studiu egyptologie v Hamburku v r. 1997 obhájil doktorát, v r. 2002 se habilitoval pro obor egyptologie, v r. 2009 jmenován profesorem pro obor egyptologie. Mezi hlavní oblasti jeho vědeckého zájmu patří archeologie a historie 3. a 2. tis. př. Kr. Intenzivně se zabývá vztahem člověka a krajiny ve starověku, vývojem a kolapsem komplexních společností, koordinuje interdisciplinární výzkumy Českého egyptologického ústavu a zabývá se též archeologickým a kulturně-historickým pozadím Starého Zákona. Od r. 2009 začal s výzkumy i v Súdánu. Kromě archeologické činnosti v Egyptě (od r. 1991) vedl první detailní satelitní mapování pyramidových polí provedené v letech 2002–2003, od r. 2003 vede výzkumy v egyptské Západní poušti a od r. 2005 je zástupcem vedoucího výzkumu lokality Abúsír. Od r. 1998 přednáší na FF UK v Praze, v letech 2003–2004 působil jako profesor egyptologie na University of Pennsylvania (PA, USA).
M. Bárta je členem Mezinárodní egyptologické asociace, členem správní rady Aigyptos Foundation, Bratislava a členem redakční rady časopisu Památky Archeologické.

Reviews

[João Abegão · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, (considering my academic interests) I would have enjoyed more discussion around exogenous factors such as climate change and environmental history and less on monumentality and kings. The sections that included discussions of literature and theories with different conclusions were my favourite, specifically those related to climate and the definition of collapse. Of course, one has to bear in mind the specialization and interests of the author as well, even when they don't synchronize perfectly with what the audience wants to read about.

[Sanjay Prabhakar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Low quality brief tour of the Old Kingdom in the style of a medieval chronicle-history, a historiographical lens completely inappropriate to the amount of evidence that actually exists for the period and consequently dependent on anachronisms and assumptions now discarded by the field. Contributes nothing.

[Bruno Pascon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to understand the rise and fall of the Old Kingdom and many similarities with modern day crisis including climate-related. It provides a lot of details on how the end of the old kingdom was based on a multitude of factors.