Providing fuel, beams and food for gold exploration in the desert: new archaeobotanical, archaeoentomological, archaeological and textual data from the Ptolemaic site of Samut (Eastern Desert, Egypt)

SpainInternational audienceThe Eastern desert of Egypt is one of the most arid region of the world. However, it has often been visited, crossed, and exploited since the Predynatic times mainly because of its natural mineral resources and its strategic position between the Nile valley and the Red Sea. While Roman occupation (mainly AD 1st-3rd centuries) has been the subject of large archaeological investigations, the Ptolemaic period (end 4th-end 1st centuries BC) – closely linked with gold ore mining – has received little attention. Samut North is a key gold mining site dating back to the beginning of the Ptolemaic period at the end of the 4th century BC. It consists of visible traces of works on a quartz vein on the surface, a main structure composed of several living and working rooms as well as other structures (such as smithies and mill) devoted to the mining process. The desert climatic conditions, the specificity of mining activities carried out and the scarcity of water suppose that the acquisition of fuel had to be organised and plant food could hardly be cultivated locally and had to be imported. Furthermore, exploitation of local plant resources to feed, heat or build required a good knowledge of the desert and its resources. A large quantity of plant remains have been found in occupation and destruction layers of Samut North. They mainly correspond to charcoal and dry wood elements and in less extent to seed and fruit remains. Some woodboring insects and insect pests of food products have also been found. The archaeobotanical analyses, coupled with archaeoentomology, archaeological and textual (Greek amphora tituli) studies, provides unique opportunity so far to figure out what were the plant resources used as fuel, building material and food at the end of the 4th century BC in the Eastern desert. Results show that acacia wood (Acacia sp.) is the most important fuel resource for domestic and metalworking activities. In order to ensure sufficient powerful fuel in relation with these metallurgical activities, we assume that charcoal-making was made locally, with the acacia growing in the desert. Wood used as building material mainly correspond to beams of Leptadenia pyrotechnica, acacia and cf. Capparis decidua as well as twigs of Leptadenia pyrotechnica. All of these woody plants possibly grew locally, even if they are absent today. Finally, food products reflect a poor plant diet, consisting mainly of barley (Hordeum vulgare), naked wheat (probably Triticum turgidum ssp. durum/turgidum) and lentils (Lens culinaris) imported from the Nile valley, partly infested, and the existence of rare products (such as fig, cheese or wine) probably intended for a ruling elite