37. Gold Nugget

This gold nugget (8 gr) was found in a later context, but gives an idea of the material balanced against the stone weight (no. 37). The raw nugget was weathered out of a lode (or vein) from a gold deposit in the earth’s crust, and was probably found by ancient miners in Upper Nubia. However, it was brought to light in a royal pyramid at Jebel Barkal, where it was likely deposited as a magical object associated with the sun god Amun. Amuletic gold nuggets are first attested in the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty and demonstrate the combined economic and symbolic value of the material to Kushite elites. Numerous sources of high-purity gold (18-23 carats) were known in antiquity in the Eastern Desert and between the Second and Third Cataracts. They were exploited by Egyptian and Nubian rulers alike. Sudan is still Africa’s third largest gold producer. Its gold mines, which produced 65 tons of bullion in 2024, partly funded Sudan’s civil war and the war against Ukraine.