Media & Other Features
Civilizations: Rise and Fall (Documentary)
BBC, 2025
A look at the rise and fall of one of history’s most bloodstained dynasties, the Ptolemies, the last pharaohs of Egypt. The 3,000-year-old civilisation of ancient Egypt faces disaster as civil war between Queen Cleopatra and her brother, a famine caused by the failure of the Nile's flood cycle and the increasing dominance of Rome threaten its survival. Will Cleopatra become the last of the pharaohs?
​
Professor Manning's commentary offers a perspective into what we know about Queen Cleopatra, her relationship with the people of Egypt, and her rule in the face of the rising Roman threat to the north.
From Papyrus to Policy
It's Your Yale, 2025
In September 2025, It’s Your Yale published “From Papyrus to Policy,” spotlighting research led by Professor Joe Manning that connects ancient Nile river records, volcanic eruptions, and modern climate resilience. The article describes how data from papyri, ice cores, and satellite mapping are being combined to understand how extreme climate events reshaped societies along major rivers.
The Volcanic Eruption in Alaska that Rocked Ancient Egypt
Yale Climate Connections, 2022
In July 2022, Professor Joe Manning and Jennifer Marlon co-authored an article on the far-reaching impacts of the Okmok Volcano eruption in Alaska that disrupted the Nile River floods during Cleopatra’s reign. Drawing on ice cores, tree rings, and ancient papyri, their research reveals how climate events can ripple across continents, influencing economies, societies, and political stability.
44 BC was a Terrible Year for Cleopatra and Egypt (Documentary)
Smithsonian 2020
In 44 BC, Cleopatra was in trouble: Julius Caesar was dead, rival Roman factions were at war, and Egypt was gripped by what modern historians would later identify as the plague.
​
In February 2020, Professor Joe Manning was featured in a Smithsonian documentary on Cleopatra, the fall of Ptolemaic Egypt, and the rise of Roman Egypt. His commentary examined the political, social, and environmental forces that shaped this pivotal transition, highlighting his expertise on the deep connections between climate, empire, and historical change.
Ancient Rome Was Teetering. Then a Volcano Erupted 6,000 Miles Away.
New York Times, 2020
In February 2020, The New York Times reported on new research identifying a massive eruption of Alaska’s Okmok volcano in 43 BCE—one of the largest in the past 2,500 years. The eruption triggered global cooling that may have contributed to the political and environmental crises surrounding the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. The article, Ancient Rome Was Teetering. Then a Volcano Erupted 6,000 Miles Away, featured an interview with Professor Joe Manning, highlighting his role in uncovering the connections between climate and history.
Eruption of Alaska's Okmok volcano linked to period of extreme cold in ancient Rome
U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), 2020
In July 2020, the National Science Foundation featured the Yale Nile Initiative’s research linking the colossal 43 BCE eruption of Alaska’s Okmok volcano to a period of extreme cold in the Mediterranean. Ice-core evidence revealed how the eruption set off climatic stress, crop failures, and unrest during the final years of the Roman Republic and the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
