Gold exploitation in New Kingdom and Napatan Nubia

The Egyptian colonial system to extract gold from the Nubian deserts and the Nile Valley is attested to in a considerable number of texts. These texts are one way to consider differences between gold production in Wawat (Lower Nubia) and Kush (Upper Nubia). This chapter moves away from the long-established interpretation of the period of Egyptian presence in Nubia being one of technological and cultural advancement, in particular in how Egypt benefited from, supposedly, previously unexplored natural resources. Instead, the focus will be on indigenous Nubian relationships with gold, from the Kerma Period to the Napatan Period. Case studies from the New Kingdom and Napatan Periods are used to provide an alternative narrative and to argue for a need to rewrite Nubia’s silenced ‘golden’ history, especially when taking archaeological sources into account. The main aim is to highlight a seemingly long continuity of Nubian goldworking and its complex intermingling with Egyptian goldworking. Keywords: Nubia, gold, gold mining, wadi working, Kerma, New Kingdom, Napatan