“Ancient Gold Mine Unearths Chilling Relics of Forced Labor: Shackles That Bind a Dark History Revealed”
M. Kačičnik, Institut français d’archéologie orientaleThe excavated Sector 44 at Ghozza.
Historical texts made mention of shackles and shackled workers — in particular, that prisoners of war and criminals were often subjected to this punishment under the Ptolemies — but actually finding shackles is a rarity, the study noted. Even more remarkably, the Ghozza shackles are among the oldest ever found in the Mediterranean region, pre-dating similar Late Iron Age and Roman-era shackles that had been uncovered across Europe.
In fact, they bear fascinating similarities to shackles found in Greek silver mines, suggesting there may have been some connection between Greek and Ptolemaic mines. In the study, Redon posited the theory that these shackles, and perhaps other technologies, were initially set up by Greek and Macedonian engineers, then brought to Egypt by the Ptolemies.
The Harsh Reality In Ptolemaic Gold Mines
National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden, inv. K 1894/9.15An image of a shackled man found on a kylix in Naples.
While most ancient mines were riddled with harsh conditions, the Ptolemaic gold mines may have been especially cruel. To extract gold at Ghozza, workers used handheld grinding stones, a backbreaking process on its own that would be even more unbearable in the desert heat.
So far, no human remains have been found in relation to the shackles, but historical accounts indicated that many miners met a grim fate while working. The 2nd-century B.C.E. Greek historian Agatharchides once wrote of these mines: “And those who have been condemned in this way — and they are of a great multitude and all have their feet bound — work at their tasks unceasingly both by day and throughout the entire night.”
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