gems, beryl, emerald, Egypt, Cleopatra

MacAlister describes the ancient emerald-mining district of northern Etbai in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, including its geography, geology, routes of access, water supply, and surviving mining remains. He discusses the principal workings and settlements associated with the emerald mines, the character of the host rocks and methods by which the deposits were exploited, and evidence for mining in antiquity. Particular attention is given to the difficult desert environment and the practical problems of reaching and working the mines. The paper provides an important late nineteenth-century account of Egypt’s historic emerald deposits, combining geographical observation with descriptions of the mines, ruins, and mineral occurrences.