Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Nubian Gold Mines: The Riches of Kush
Transcript
- Lucas: So we’ve talked a lot about Ramses’ temples, his statues, his chariots, his diplomacy — but none of that would have been possible without one thing: gold. And not just any gold — Nubian gold. Luna: Right, the mines down south. That’s where the real wealth came from. Lucas: Exactly. Nubia — the region south of Egypt, roughly modern-day Sudan — was known to the Egyptians as Kush. And from the Old Kingdom onward, it was the source of most of the gold that filled Egyptian treasuries. The Greek word for Nubia, by the way, may have come from the Egyptian word for gold — 'nub.' Luna: Wait, so Nubia literally means 'land of gold'? Lucas: Probably. The Egyptians themselves called the region 'Ta-Nehesi' — land of the bowmen, because Nubians were famous archers. But gold is what they valued most. There were two main gold-producing regions: the Eastern Desert between the Nile and the Red Sea, and the lands farther south in Kush. Ramses inherited a system of mining that had been running for centuries, but he ramped it up massively. Lucas: We actually have a remarkable document from around his time — the Turin Papyrus Map. It’s the oldest surviving geological map in the world, and it shows the gold mines in the Wadi Hammamat region, complete with roads, quarries, and miners’ huts. It was drawn around 1150 BCE, during the reign of Ramses IV, but it reflects the same infrastructure Ramses the Great used. Luna: A geological map from 1150 BCE — that’s incredible. What does it show? Lucas: It shows the wadi, or dry riverbed, with gold-bearing quartz veins marked out. It labels different types of stone, indicates where the miners lived, even shows a well. The map was used to plan expeditions. A typical mining expedition might involve hundreds of men — miners, stonecutters, water carriers, guards. They’d march out into the desert, set up camp, and work the veins for weeks at a time. Lucas: The actual mining was brutal. They used a technique called 'fire-setting.' You’d build a fire against the rock face to heat it up, then douse it with water or vinegar to crack the quartz. Then you’d hammer out the fragments with stone tools or copper chisels. The gold ore was then crushed, ground, and washed to separate the gold dust. Luna: Fire-setting — that sounds incredibly dangerous. The smoke, the heat, the rockfalls. Lucas: It was. Miners often died from collapses or lung disease. And the work was done under the scorching desert sun. But the payoff was enormous. The Eastern Desert mines alone produced thousands of pounds of gold over the centuries. Ramses used that gold to pay for his building projects, his army, and his diplomatic gifts — like the dowry for the Hittite princess he married. Lucas: And it wasn’t just the pharaoh who benefited. Gold was woven into every level of Egyptian society. Temples were covered in it, statues were gilded, jewelry was common even among the elite. The god Amun-Re was often called 'the lord of gold' — his cult at Karnak controlled vast wealth from the Nubian mines. Luna: So the temples weren’t just religious centers; they were like banks? Lucas: Exactly. The temples operated as economic hubs. They owned land, collected taxes, and managed the distribution of gold. The gold from Nubia didn’t just make Ramses rich — it funded the entire state apparatus. And he had to protect those mines at all costs. That’s why he built a string of fortresses along the Nile in Nubia, staffed with Medjay — elite police and scouts. Luna: The Medjay — we’ve heard that name before. They were Nubian archers, right? Lucas: Originally, yes. The Medjay were a Nubian people from the Eastern Desert, but by the New Kingdom, 'Medjay' had become a job title — basically, elite paramilitary police. They served as guards for the mines, escorts for expeditions, and even as personal bodyguards for the pharaoh. Ramses relied on them heavily to keep the gold flowing. Luna: So he’s using Nubians to guard Nubian gold — that’s a layer of irony. Lucas: It is. But it also shows how integrated Nubia was into the Egyptian system. Many Nubians rose to high positions in the army and administration. Ramses even had a Nubian-born official named Huy who served as 'overseer of the gold lands of Amun.' So it wasn’t a simple colonial relationship — it was more complex. Lucas: Of course, not all Nubians accepted Egyptian rule. There were periodic rebellions, especially in the southern part of Kush. Ramses had to launch military campaigns to suppress them. One inscription from his reign mentions defeating the 'wretched Kush' and bringing back captives and cattle. But the mines kept producing, and the gold kept flowing. Luna: Speaking of keeping things flowing — I know this is a bit off topic, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about while listening. A lot of this detail comes from years of research and travel, and I imagine putting these episodes together takes a real investment. Lucas: It honestly does. Researching these topics — tracking down primary sources, reading the latest archaeology papers, even visiting sites when we can — it takes time and money. And we want to keep this podcast ad-free and listener-supported. So if you’ve gotten something out of these conversations, a couple of dollars a month genuinely makes a difference. It’s buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo — no pressure, just if you can. Luna: Yeah, it’s one of those things where every little bit helps keep the show going. And we really appreciate everyone who’s part of this community. Lucas: Absolutely. So back to the gold — one of the most fascinating aspects is how the Egyptians themselves viewed gold. To them, it wasn’t just a metal; it had divine properties. Gold was associated with the sun god Ra and with eternal life. The flesh of the gods was said to be gold. So when Ramses covered his temples in gold leaf, he wasn’t just showing off wealth — he was making a theological statement. Luna: So gold was literally divine. That puts the mining in a whole new light. Lucas: Exactly. The gold from Nubia wasn’t just a resource; it was a sacred substance. And controlling it meant controlling access to the divine. That’s why the pharaohs went to such lengths to secure it. The Turin Papyrus Map is a testament to that — it’s a sacred text and a practical document at the same time. Lucas: And it wasn’t just Ramses. The gold mines of Nubia continued to be exploited by later pharaohs, even after the New Kingdom collapsed. The Kushite kings of the 25th Dynasty, who actually conquered Egypt, used the same mines. Later still, the Romans and the Ottomans mined there. Some of the ancient workings are still visible today. Luna: So those mines had a life far beyond Ramses. Lucas: Centuries of life. But Ramses was probably the one who extracted the most from them. His reign was a golden age in every sense — and the gold that made it possible came from the harsh deserts of Nubia, mined by men using fire and stone, guarded by Medjay archers, and consecrated to Amun-Re. It’s a story of labor, economy, and belief, all mixed together. Luna: It really puts his empire in perspective. Thanks for diving into that. Lucas: My pleasure. Next time, we’ll talk about something completely different — but still under the shadow of Ramses.