---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea was that in Palaeolithic days…"
description: "\"“The idea was that in Palaeolithic days, contemporary with the Glacial Age of Northern Europe and America, the climate of Egypt was entirely different ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/leonard-william-king-10036_climate-egypt_the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-c_48968.jpg"
---

#  The idea was that in Palaeolithic days, contemporary with…

![“The idea was that in Palaeolithic days, contemporary with the Glacial Age of Northern Europe and America, the climate of Egypt was entirely different from that of later times and of to-day. Instead of dry desert, the mountain plateaus bordering the Nile valley were supposed to have been then…” quote by Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/leonard-william-king-10036_climate-egypt_the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-c_48968.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/leonard-william-king-10036_climate-egypt_the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-c_48968.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/leonard-william-king-10036_climate-egypt_the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-c_48968.jpg)

> ““The idea was that in Palaeolithic days, contemporary with the Glacial Age of Northern Europe and America, the climate of Egypt was entirely different from that of later times and of to-day. Instead of dry desert, the mountain plateaus bordering the Nile valley were supposed to have been then covered with forest, through which flowed countless streams to feed the river below.””

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage proposes that during the Pleistocene, Egypt’s climate was lush, with forested highlands and abundant waterways feeding the Nile, contrasting sharply with its modern arid state.

**In simple terms:** Ancient climate shift from forested highlands to desert.

Key Takeaway

Past climates can differ dramatically from today.

Themes

paleoclimatology geography environmental change historical ecology Egyptology

Mood

curiosity wonder speculation

Type

historical observation scientific hypothesis

When to use this quote

- archaeological site interpretation
- environmental education
- climate change modeling
- historical tourism
- academic research

Key Concepts

glacial period Nile hydrology forest ecosystems climate reconstruction

Practical Applications

- reconstructing ancient ecosystems
- informing climate change narratives

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this view reshape our understanding of ancient Egyptian civilization?
- What evidence would confirm or refute this climate model?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Climate Egypt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-egypt-703764/) [Glacial Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glacial-age-703778/) [Idea Palaeolithic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-palaeolithic-703767/) [Palaeolithic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palaeolithic-703775/) [Palaeolithic Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palaeolithic-days-703766/)

## Related quotes

> [“The very idea of Palaeolithic art was deeply disturbing. Was not art one of the great achievements of high civilizations?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-very-idea-of-palaeolithic-art-was-deeply-disturbing-was-not-art/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [Climate of Egypt in winter is the reign of spring upon earth, &amp; summer in the air, and tranquility in the heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/climate-of-egypt-in-winter-is-the-reign-of-spring-upon-earth-summer/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [“Perhaps the most striking feature of the west European Upper Palaeolithic, one on which many writers comment, is a sharp increase in the rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/perhaps-the-most-striking-feature-of-the-west-european-upper/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [With my tongue in one cheek only, I'd suggest that were our palaeolithic ancestors to discover the peer-review dredger, we would be still sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/with-my-tongue-in-one-cheek-only-i-d-suggest-that-were-our/)

[Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/)

> [“A lack of methodology in Upper Palaeolithic art research has led to confusion of priorities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/a-lack-of-methodology-in-upper-palaeolithic-art-research-has-led-to/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The picture of change in human society that emerges from this recent research throws new light on that aspect of the Transition that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-picture-of-change-in-human-society-that-emerges-from-this-recent/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The Upper Palaeolithic figures known as ‘wounded men’ occur at Cougnac and Pech Merle, two sites in the Quercy district of France.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-upper-palaeolithic-figures-known-as-wounded-men-occur-at-cougnac/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The elaborately executed art on the ceiling in the Altamira cave did not fit current notions of Palaeolithic ‘savagery’; it was too ‘advanced’ for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-elaborately-executed-art-on-the-ceiling-in-the-altamira-cave-did/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Around 30,000 years ago, in the Aurignacian, at the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic, someone or some group in the Eyzies region invented drawing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/around-30-000-years-ago-in-the-aurignacian-at-the-beginning-of-the/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“To understand the ‘wounded men’ of Upper Palaeolithic art, I now consider somatic hallucinations; these include attenuation of the body and limbs, polymelia (having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/to-understand-the-wounded-men-of-upper-palaeolithic-art-i-now/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

## More by Leonard William King

> [“The great pyramid-builders of the IVth Dynasty seem to have been the last true Memphites.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-great-pyramid-builders-of-the-ivth-dynasty-seem-to-have-been-the/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“As far as we can tell, then, Aha and Narmer were the first conquerors of the North, the unifiers of the kingdom, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/as-far-as-we-can-tell-then-aha-and-narmer-were-the-first-conquerors/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“The country to the north of Babylonia was known as Assyria at the time of the kings of the First Dynasty of Babylon, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-country-to-the-north-of-babylonia-was-known-as-assyria-at-the/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“For the First Dynasty of Babylon, to which the famous Hammurabi belonged, was very probably of Arab origin, to judge by the forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/for-the-first-dynasty-of-babylon-to-which-the-famous-hammurabi/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“After the reconsolidation of the Egyptian people, with perhaps an autocratic class of Semitic origin and a populace of indigenous Nilotic race, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/after-the-reconsolidation-of-the-egyptian-people-with-perhaps-an/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“For the culture of the Semites was Sumerian, the Semitic races owing their civilization to the Sumerians. That is as much as to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/for-the-culture-of-the-semites-was-sumerian-the-semitic-races-owing/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“The Kheta, or Hittites, were certainly not Semites, yet the Hyksos names are definitely Semitic. In fact it is most probable that the Hyksos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-kheta-or-hittites-were-certainly-not-semites-yet-the-hyksos-names/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“Certain elements of the early dynastic civilization, which do not appear in that of the earlier pre-dynastic period, resemble well-known elements of the civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/certain-elements-of-the-early-dynastic-civilization-which-do-not/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“The mere fact of so large and important an obelisk, inscribed with a Semitic text by an early Babylonian king, being found at Susa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-mere-fact-of-so-large-and-important-an-obelisk-inscribed-with-a/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“In fact, this communication seems to go so far back in time that we are gradually being led to perceive the possibility that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/in-fact-this-communication-seems-to-go-so-far-back-in-time-that-we/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“But at the end of the XIIIth Dynasty the great invasion of the Hyksos probably occurred, and all Northern Egypt fell under the Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/but-at-the-end-of-the-xiiith-dynasty-the-great-invasion-of-the-hyksos/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“It was not till the time of the XVIIIth Dynasty, indeed, that the Egyptians ceased to portray their kings as they really were, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/it-was-not-till-the-time-of-the-xviiith-dynasty-indeed-that-the/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“This is a very interesting theory, which, when carried out to its logical conclusion, would connect the Hyksos and Hittites racially with the pre-Hellenic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/this-is-a-very-interesting-theory-which-when-carried-out-to-its/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“It is from the name of Seker that the modern Sak-kâra takes its title.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/it-is-from-the-name-of-seker-that-the-modern-sak-k-ra-takes-its-title/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“... conquering race was Semitic and brought to Egypt the Semitic elements in the Egyptian religion and a culture originally derived from that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/conquering-race-was-semitic-and-brought-to-egypt-the-semitic-elements/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

[Explore all 68 Leonard William King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

## More Climate Egypt quotes

> [Climate of Egypt in winter is the reign of spring upon earth, &amp; summer in the air, and tranquility in the heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/climate-of-egypt-in-winter-is-the-reign-of-spring-upon-earth-summer/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

[Browse all 2 Climate Egypt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-egypt-703764/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The idea was that in Palaeolithic days, contemporary with the Glacial Age of Northern Europe and America, the climate of Egypt was entirely different from that of later times and of to-day. Instead of dry desert, the mountain plateaus bordering the Nile valley were supposed to have been then covered with forest, through which flowed countless streams to feed the river below.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leonard William King"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-contemporary-with-the-glacial/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Climate Egypt"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-contemporary-with-the-glacial/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/leonard-william-king-10036_climate-egypt_the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-c_48968.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/leonard-william-king-10036_climate-egypt_the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-c_48968.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/leonard-william-king-10036_climate-egypt_the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-c_48968.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The idea was that in Palaeolithic days, contemporary with the Glacial Age of Northern Europe and America…” — Leonard William King",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Leonard William King",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The idea was that in Palaeolithic...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-contemporary-with-the-glacial/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-contemporary-with-the-glacial/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
