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An Egyptian team excavating the Wadi el-Nasab site in south Sinai has discovered a copper-smelting and -casting workshop with administrative buildings at what was one of the most important ancient mining centres. Copper ingots of different sizes and shapes were uncovered, together with clay tuyère heads (air inlets for furnaces), slag, and the remains of multiple types of smelting furnace. The team also found ore-preparation tools, ceramic crucibles, amphorae, and large amounts of locally produced charcoal. Two large sandstone buildings were uncovered near to the entrance of the wadi, too. These had been built as lookout posts, but then converted into smelting workshops in the New Kingdom. A Middle Kingdom structure that served as a control and observation post for mining expeditions was discovered at the site in 2022. The finds demonstrate an advanced and well-organised system that was capable of producing copper on an industrial scale for making tools for craftsmen, builders, and the military.
Text: Sarah Griffiths / All images: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
