“Ancient Gold Mine Unearths Chilling Relics of Forced Labor: Shackles That Bind a Dark History Revealed”
A study published in Antiquity this year goes into specific details about these shackles and what they may represent in the broader context of ancient Egypt’s gold mining operations — and the harsh conditions of the mines.
Iron Shackles Found At Ghozza Highlight A Dark Past For The Ptolemaic Mine
Bérangère Redon/French Archaeological Mission at the Eastern Desert; Antiquity Publications LtdA complete set of ankle shackles unearthed at the Ghozza mine.
Archaeologist Bérangère Redon led the excavation at the ancient site of Ghozza, during which two sets of ankle shackles were uncovered. They were found near ancient tools and fragments of pottery and provided the first real evidence that at least some workers at Ghozza were forced laborers.
It has been well documented that other Ptolemaic gold mines used forced labor, but in most cases, there were structures like guarded dormitories that provided clear evidence of this practice at mines. At Ghozza, however, there were no such structures. Because of this, some researchers may have assumed that the Ghozza mine did not have enslaved laborers and that all of the workers there were paid, but the newly discovered shackles contradict this and expose the “harsh reality” of life at the mine.
“The discovery of shackles at Ghozza reveals that at least part of the workforce was composed of forced labour,” Redon wrote in the new study. “The exact living conditions of these individuals remain unclear because their dwelling places have not yet been identified, indeed the village set-up seems to suggest that the population was free to move around in general.”
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