Close Menu
  • Home
  • UNSUBSCRIBE
  • News
  • Lifestyle
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Travel
Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp
Trending
  • Severe storms knock out power and close roads as flooding cancels last day of Wisconsin State Fair
  • How ‘flying boats’ are bringing EVs to the ocean — with the help of LeBron James and Tom Brady
  • NFL news: CeeDee Lamb collides with official during Cowboys game
  • Best earbuds deal: Save $26 on Soundcore V20i
  • FedExCup Playoffs LIVE! Fleetwood leads Rose heading into St Jude final round
  • Chad Michael Murray Lost Nearly Half His Blood Due to Health Scare
  • Netanyahu says starvation claims in Gaza are exaggerated as backlash mounts over plans for new Israeli offensive
  • James Webb telescope captures one of the deepest-ever views of the universe, improving on iconic Hubble image — Space photo of the week
Get Your Free Email Account
Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp
Baynard Media
  • Home
  • UNSUBSCRIBE
  • News
  • Lifestyle
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Travel
Baynard Media
Home»Lifestyle»2,200-year-old shackles discovered at ancient Egyptian gold mine
Lifestyle

2,200-year-old shackles discovered at ancient Egyptian gold mine

EditorBy EditorMarch 18, 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit Telegram Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Two sets of iron ankle shackles found at an archaeological site in Egypt are revealing the “significant human cost” of gold mining undertaken to fund Ptolemy I’s military campaigns, according to new research.

“The shackles complement an ancient text that describes the living conditions of miners in Egypt and mentions the presence of prisoners of war and common criminals in the mines,” study author Bérangère Redon, an archaeologist at the History and Sources of the Ancient Worlds (HiSoMA) Laboratory in France, told Live Science in an email.

After Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, dozens of mines were opened under the Ptolemaic dynasty (305 to 30 B.C.). Many of these mines included housing for the workers, but the living accommodations tended to be highly controlled and guarded. Historical and archaeological information suggests that a range of people worked as miners, including both paid laborers and people who were enslaved.

In a study published March 13 in the journal Antiquity, Redon detailed the rare discovery of shackles at Ghozza, the northernmost Ptolemaic gold mine, which was in use from around 250 to 200 B.C. The shackles are among the oldest ever found in the Mediterranean region.

Related: Shackled skeleton may be first direct evidence of slavery in Roman Britain

The Ghozza mine complex included a village with residential areas, streets and baths. Hundreds of ostraca — pottery fragments used as “scrap paper” — that were found at the site provided clues to the daily activities of the miners. Some received wages for their work, which involved processing natural ore with handheld grinding stones.

“We thought that the work of the miners must have included free people, as we found no guarded dormitories at Ghozza,” Redon said. In contrast, dormitories at other ancient Egyptian mines “were guarded by a gatehouse near their narrow entrances,” Redon wrote in a 2021 study.

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

But the discovery of two sets of shackles designed to restrict the movement of miners working on the surface revealed that there was at least some forced labor at Ghozza.

A set of iron shackles being excavated from pinkish brown dirt with a red-white-and-black scale at the bottom

Iron shackles being excavated at the Ghozza mine in Egypt. (Image credit: Bérangère Redon / French Archaeological Mission at the Eastern Desert; Antiquity Publications Ltd.)

One set of shackles consisted of seven ankle rings and two links, and the other included four links and two ankle-ring fragments. Archaeologists discovered the shackles, along with a large amount of discarded slag and many iron objects, in an ancient storage building at Ghozza.

The Ghozza shackles closely resemble ones found in the silver mines of Laurion in Greece, Redon wrote in her study, suggesting the Greeks brought their technical knowledge of mine engineering to Egypt during the Ptolemaic period. The mined Egyptian gold would have helped fund Ptolemy I’s military campaigns at the expense of the workers.

“These objects give us irrefutable proof of the miners’ status, which we did not have until now,” Redon said.


Mummy quiz: Can you unwrap these ancient Egyptian mysteries?

Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Previous ArticleAI is turbocharging organized crime, E.U. police agency warns
Next Article Teslas set on fire with Molotov cocktails and shot in Las Vegas attack
Editor
  • Website

Related Posts

Lifestyle

How ‘flying boats’ are bringing EVs to the ocean — with the help of LeBron James and Tom Brady

August 10, 2025
Lifestyle

James Webb telescope captures one of the deepest-ever views of the universe, improving on iconic Hubble image — Space photo of the week

August 10, 2025
Lifestyle

‘Such caves weren’t used for ordinary living’: Rare finger grooves from ancient peoples found in glittering Australian cave

August 10, 2025
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Categories
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Travel
Recent Posts
  • Severe storms knock out power and close roads as flooding cancels last day of Wisconsin State Fair
  • How ‘flying boats’ are bringing EVs to the ocean — with the help of LeBron James and Tom Brady
  • NFL news: CeeDee Lamb collides with official during Cowboys game
  • Best earbuds deal: Save $26 on Soundcore V20i
  • FedExCup Playoffs LIVE! Fleetwood leads Rose heading into St Jude final round
calendar
August 2025
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    
Recent Posts
  • Severe storms knock out power and close roads as flooding cancels last day of Wisconsin State Fair
  • How ‘flying boats’ are bringing EVs to the ocean — with the help of LeBron James and Tom Brady
  • NFL news: CeeDee Lamb collides with official during Cowboys game
About

Welcome to Baynard Media, your trusted source for a diverse range of news and insights. We are committed to delivering timely, reliable, and thought-provoking content that keeps you informed
and inspired

Categories
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Travel
Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest WhatsApp
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • UNSUBSCRIBE
© 2025 copyrights reserved

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.