Bi’r Umm Fawâkhir: Gold Mining in Byzantine Times in the Eastern Desert

The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of the results of many years of archaeological research at the site of Bi’r Umm Fawâkhir in the central Eastern Desert of Egypt. It will give a brief overview of the field seasons, some aspects of life in the ancient settlement at Bi’r Umm Fawâkhir, and a review of the ancient ore extraction and processing techniques. In brief, the Bi’r Umm Fawâkhir Project of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago carried out four seasons of surv..