The heavy cost of this warfare slowly drained Egypt 's treasury and contributed to the gradual decline of the Egyptian Empire in Asia . The severity of the difficulties is indicated by the fact that the first known labor strike in recorded history occurred during the 29th year of Ramesses III 's reign , when the food rations for Egypt 's favored and elite royal tomb-builders and artisans in the village of Deir el Medina could not be provisioned . Air pollutants prevented much sunlight from reaching the ground and also arrested global tree growth for almost two full decades until 1140 BC . One proposed cause is the Hekla 3 eruption of the Hekla volcano in Iceland but the dating of this remains disputed
Hekla 3 eruption
Hekla 3 eruption
New Kingdom of Egypt