"The Emerald Mines of Wadi Sikait (Egypt) from a Diachronic Perspective. Results of the 2020 and 2021 Seasons of the Sikait Project "

Abstract

This article outlines the preliminary results of the fieldwork carried out by the Sikait Project, in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, in the Smaragdos area (Egyptian Eastern Desert). Our work is focused on the study of the beryl/emerald mining in the Roman and Late Antique periods, from a diachronic perspective. By the end of the 2021 season, some 150 mines had been identified. The total area so far of the delimited mining zones is about 100,000 m².