The Great Nubian Gold Rush (of the Second Millennium BCE?), or, Gold Bugs of the Bronze Age
About this episode
The episode discusses the surprising findings of gold production in Nubia during the Second Millennium BCE and questions the current archaeological evidence.
How much gold was mined in antiquity anyway? A new economic analysis suggests that second millennium BCE Nubia produced hundreds of tons of the stuff, which is way more than anyone ever thought. Mining expeditions were super profitable too. So where’s the archaeological and textual evidence? Screw that, where’s all the gold now dammit?
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