The heavy cost of these battles slowly exhausted Egypt 's treasury and contributed to the gradual decline of the Egyptian Empire in Asia . The severity of these difficulties is stressed by the fact that the first known strike action in recorded history occurred during Year 29 of Ramesses III 's reign , when the food rations for the Egypt 's favoured and elite royal tomb-builders and artisans in the village of Deir el-Medina could not be provisioned . Something in the air 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 in Iceland , but the dating of that event remains in dispute
Hekla 3 eruption
Hekla 3 eruption
History of ancient Egypt