Nubian Gold

The gold of Nubia made Egypt very rich. Egypt became so rich that the kings of other countries believed that gold was "as common as dust" there. Archaeologists think that most of the gold used in Tutankhmun's burial may have been mined in Nubia, since at that time most of the gold used in Egypt came from Nubia.

Precious Metals and Stone. Egyptian interests in Nubia were always driven by economics. The one factor that chiefly characterized Egypt's relationship with Nubia through most of their history was exploitation. Nubia's most important resource for Egypt was precious metal, including gold and electrum. The gold mines of Nubia were located in certain valleys and mountains on either side of the Nile River, although the most important mining center was located in the Wadi Allaqi. That valley extended eastward into the mountains near Qubban (about 107 km. south of Elephantine). Nubia was also an important source of valuable hard stone and copper, both of which were necessary for Egypt's monumental building projects."
" The gold mines were now extensively worked. Inscriptions from the 18th. Dynasty record large quantities of precious metal recieved, subdivided into 'Gold of Wawat' and 'Gold of Kush', and wall-apintings of some Theban officials include scenes of Nubian presenting gold to the king. The extent to which the Egyptians identified Nubia with its most desirable product is reflected in one of the viceroy's secondary titles, 'Overseer of Gold Lands of the Lord of the two lands'......"
For centuries people knew that gold came from Nubia. When the Egyptians took over Nubia about 1450 BCE, they began searching to find where it came from. They discovered some gold near the Nile, but they found larger amounts in the desert far away from the Nile. The Egyptians sent many slaves to mine the gold. Many workers died because of the heat and lack of water.
 

 
 

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