Famine and Feast in Ancient Egypt

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Title page
Copyright page
Famine and Feast in Ancient Egypt
	Contents
	1 Famine and Social Memory
		1.1 Severe Nile Failures Occurred Rarely but Followed a Predictable Pattern
			1.1.1 1064–1071
			1.1.2 1199–1201
			1.1.3 1294–1296
			1.1.4 1402–1404
			1.1.5 1694–1695
			1.1.6 1790–1796
		1.2 The Preservation of “Counterfactual” Social Memory Can Be Considered a Survival Strategy
	2 The Role of Witness Literature in Preserving Social Memory
		2.1 Scientific Studies Lend Credence to Ancient Reports of Suffering
		2.2 The Reception of the First Intermediate Period in Literature
			2.2.1 Tale of the Eloquent Peasant
			2.2.2 Teaching for Merikare
			2.2.3 Prophecy of Neferti
			2.2.4 Teaching of King Amenemhat I
		2.3 Witness Literature
			2.3.1 Dispute between a Man and His Ba
			2.3.2 Lamentations of Khakheperreseneb
			2.3.3 Admonitions of Ipuwer
		2.4 Overarching Lessons Concerning Starvation
			2.4.1 When Starving People Are Forced to Share Food, Love Often Turns to Hate
			2.4.2 Empathy toward Others Ceases as Starvation and Mass Mortality Deaden Emotions
			2.4.3 As Anguish Turns Inward, the Fragmented “I” Becomes the Sole Empathetic Confidant
			2.4.4 The Specter of Death May Be Welcome
			2.4.5 Efforts to Express the Inexpressible Often Lead to Excesses That Are Received with Suspicion
		2.5 The Deliberate Avoidance of a Hero Narrative in the Most Pessimistic Literature Adds Authenticity
		2.6 The Problem with Encoding Memories of Extreme Suffering in Personal Narratives and Literature is Reception
	3 The Role of “Prophecy” in Preserving Social Memory
		3.1 Prophecy of Neferti
		3.2 Famine Stele
		3.3 Prophecy of the Lamb
		3.4 Oracle of the Potter (Known Anciently as Defense of a Potter to the King Amenophis)
		3.5 Demotic Chronicle
		3.6 Prophecy from Tebtynis
		3.7 Prophetic Narratives in Ptolemaic Egypt Likely Benefited from a Long Cross-Fertilization with Jewish Tradition
		3.8 How Effective Was Prophecy at Serving as an Unwitting Host for the Curation of Social Memories of Famine in Egypt?
	4 The Role of Rituals in Preserving Social Memory
		4.1 The Nile Festival Likely Began with an Invitation to Meditate on the Terrors of a Severe Famine
		4.2 Famines Have Often Sparked Profound Shifts in Social Power and Wealth
		4.3 In Europe’s Middle Ages, Elites Exaggerated Social Shifts in the Aftermath of Mass Mortality and Satirized Perceived Social Climbers
		4.4 The New Year’s Festival Drew on Inversions for Laughter to Counterbalance Fear
		4.5 The Performances Offered Different Lessons for Different Audiences
References
Acknowledgments