News in Brief Earth

How volcanoes may have ended the dynasty of Ptolemy and Cleopatra

Volcanic ash layers suggest eruptions may have messed with crop-dependent monsoons, leading to an era of revolt

Mt. Etna

ETNA ERUPTS  This Italian volcano (shown here in 2013) erupted in 44 B.C., likely reducing monsoon rains that fed into the Nile River and ultimately fueling civic unrest in Ptolemaic Egypt.

wead/iStockphoto

By Carolyn Gramling

- More than 2 years ago

A series of volcanic eruptions may have helped bring about the downfall of the last Egyptian dynasty 2,000 years ago.