Pages:  155-172 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp2460007

Ancient Egypt stands out as a rare example of a stable territorial state in the Middle East, achieving sustainability in part due to its access to a wide range of mineral resources located in what are now desert areas. Traditionally, the exploitation of this external resource base by the inhabitants of the Nile Valley has been studied primarily through written sources. This approach has led to the development of a widely accepted model that suggests a monopoly of the royal administration over the extraction of mineral deposits. However, as regular archaeological excavations have expanded beyond the Nile Valley, evidence has emerged that contradicts this traditional narrative. Specifically, archaeological findings from mines and quarries outside of Sinai and its surrounding areas do not exhibit many characteristics typically associated with the hierarchical organizational structures linked to the ancient Egyptian state. The author contends that written and archaeological data can be reconciled by considering that the management of the external resource base by the Egyptian state was adaptable. This adaptability likely stemmed from a desire to minimize costs through the specialization of expeditionary personnel, as well as the involvement of provincial elites and institutions in mining and quarrying activities.

Keywords: Ancient Egypt, desert, mines, quarries, resources, administration, state

Information about author:

Maksim Lebedev (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Rozhdestvenka St., 12, Moscow, 107031, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-1524-2083
Scopus Author ID: 57213608195
Web of Science Researcher ID: AEW-1947-2022