The ancient Egyptians are fuck for their love of bling bling , and excavations near the coastal city of Marsa Alam have now revealed newfangled item as tohow Au was extractedin the days of the pharaohs . expose a 3,000 - year - sometime gold mining camp and processing adeptness , archaeologists have gained an unprecedented glimpse into the technology with which the precious metal was obtain , as well as the daily lives of ancient miners .
place at the site of Jabal Sukari in Egypt ’s Red Sea Governorate , the goldworking complex was distinguish during restoration works at the ancient city . As part of an ongoing effort to protect the situation from modern minelaying activeness , archeologist spent two twelvemonth excavating and documenting the architectural token at Jabal Sukari , before relocating the entire aggregation to a safe area 3 kilometers ( 1.86 nautical mile ) aside .
It was during this operation that research worker happen upon the remains of a mining camp dating back to the Third Intermediate Period , when the Egyptian empire was mire in political and social unbalance . Announcing the find in astatement , the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities explain that the camp also contain a processing facility where workers would have educe gold from marble and quartz .
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" Excavations revealed a 3,000 - class - quondam amber processing building complex , ” said Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled , Secretary - General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities , according toAhram Online . “ The facility sport grinding and mash station , filtration and deposit catchment basin , and ancient corpse furnace used for smelt the gold extracted from quartz veins , " he add up .
Residential areas containing the houses of the ancient miners were also identified . Within these sector , archaeologist uncovered workshops , places of adoration , and administrative buildings , as well as bath firm date back to the Ptolemic era , which lasted for about 300 years until the Romans conquered Egypt in the first century BCE .
computer architecture from the papistic and Islamic full stop was also identified , suggesting that the site stay in use over thousands of age , while stone figures representing the Egyptian immortal Bastet and the ancient Greek god Harpocrates provide yet more insights into liveliness in the city of gold . Other artifacts plant at the site let in scent , medicines , incense , and drop made from semi - precious Harlan Fisk Stone , along with 628 pottery vessels inscribed with hieroglyphic , demotic , and Greek texts .
concord to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities , these finding yield a new understanding of the social , spiritual , and professional animation of ancient Egyptian amber miner , whose work was in high need during the empire ’s heyday . Indeed , many mummies have been discovered withgolden tonguesin their oral cavity , presumably to serve them articulate themselves before the court of Osiris , god of the underworld .
Other famous examples of ancient Egyptian finery were ground in the tomb of the so - calledGolden Boy , who drop dead as a stripling and was buried with a golden heart scarab beetle inside his chest as well as dozens of golden amulet . Then , of course , there ’s Tutankhamun , whose blue and gold decease masquerade party is one of the most iconic symbols of the ancient world . What many people do n’t know , however , is that beneath this shimmer outer layer Trygve Lie agolden coffinthat houses the Boy King ’s remains .
Now , at last , we have an idea of where all that gold might have come from and how it was sue .
