Intersecting Past Worlds: An Interdisciplinary Study of Environmental Impact, Pestilence, and Social Transformation in the 3rd-Century Crisis

The goal of this project is to offer an entirely new perspective on the transition period from the High Roman Empire to Late Antiquity, focusing on Egypt during the critical 3rd-century crisis. It aims to explore the complex interplay between environmental shifts, political upheavals, and socio-economic changes in a crucial region of the Roman Empire. Despite the abundance of literary, documentary, archaeological, anthropological, and paleoclimatological data, this rich array has not been fully synthesized in a comprehensive study.

Participants will engage with diverse sources, including literary texts, papyri, coins, inscriptions, and remains of ancient settlements and cemeteries. New data from bioarchaeology and palaeogenetics will be employed alongside advanced palaeoclimatic records that include dendroclimatological data, ice cores, speleothem analyses, and sediment samples from across the Eastern Mediterranean and the Nile catchment area.

This interdisciplinary project is an excellent opportunity for students from classical studies, paleogenetics, or paleoclimatology to explore the new collaboration the paleosciences and winning new insights into a pivotal historical period. The research partners’ fresh perspectives and energy are vital for exploring new dimensions of ancient civilizations.