Long-Term Droughts
Following further examination, the cores revealed evidence of an African drought that began around 8,300 years ago and lasted 500 years. “We believe that this indicates a time when Africa's lakes were drying up,” Thompson added further in an Ohio State University press release obtained by ScienceDaily. The ice also revealed a second drought some 5,200 years ago. The third drought, though, was the most intriguing.
The Book of Genesis
The ice core analysis found that there was a third drought around 4,000 years ago that lasted about 300 years. A catastrophic drought wrecked havoc on the Egyptian empire around the time of the Pharaohs, threatening their control, according to historical documents. The drought is also linked to Joseph's tale in the Book of Genesis. The story can be found not just in the Christian Old Testament, but also in the Jewish Torah and the Islamic Qur'an.