USE OF METALS BY ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 693 



Possibly on account of the great abundance and long use of copper, 

 very little definite information has been preserved regarding the process 

 of extracting it from its ores, the making of the alloys (bronze and 

 brass) or the methods of manufacturing copper and bronze objects. 

 The goldsmith has received a great deal of attention from the sculptor 

 and the painter, but the more practical and more indispensable worker 

 in bronze has been almost wholly neglected. It is said that the only 

 known picture illustrating the working of bronze is that of a man 

 making knives. Even in the copper mines, the inscriptions rarely 

 refer to copper as a product. Malachite, regarded by the Egyptians 

 as one of the choicest of precious stones, and turquoise are spoken of 

 as though they were the objects sought. 



There was very little copper mined in Egypt, though it is said that 

 native copper was found there (von Meyer). The great source of the 

 metal was the Sinai peninsula. While most of these deposits were 

 exhausted in ancient times, one at Wadi Nasb has been worked in 

 recent years. To supplement the supply from these mines copper was 

 imported. In one of the Tell-el-Amarna letters, written by the ruler 

 of Cyprus to Amenophis III. (or IV.) in the fifteenth century B.C., the 

 writer says: " I can only send this time 500 talents (?) of copper, for 

 the plague prevails in my country, and for this reason no despatch of 

 silver could take place." In another letter he says : " I am sending you 

 100 talents of copper." 



When the Egyptians wanted gold they invaded Nubia and took 

 possession of the mines. When they wanted copper they drove back the 

 nomadic tribes of Sinai and built fortresses to defend themselves while 

 they secured the metal which played such an important part in their 

 national life. The most important mines were those of Wadi Maghara 

 which had been worked by the natives, and from which they are said 

 to have brought oxides of copper to the Nile delta. It is probable 

 that the Egyptians made several unsuccessful attempts to get possession 

 of the mines at a very early date. But it was not until the time of 

 Zosiri, possibly in the third dynasty, that they succeeded temporarily 

 in holding the region. Whether the conquerors followed up their vic- 

 tory and worked the mines in uncertain, but it is known that they were 

 vigorously operated by King Snofru of the fourth dynasty, not later 

 than 2830 B.C.,, and according to several authorities, much earlier. 

 Other mines opened later, were the Wadi Nasb, the Sarbut elchadim 

 and mount 'At'eka. Of these, the Sarbut elchadim were opened by 

 Amen-eh-hat II., of the twelfth dynasty, about 2130-1930 B.C. All 

 these mines, except those of 'At'eka, are in the mountains on the west 

 side of the peninsula. The exact position of the 'At'eka mines is not 

 known, but they were near the Gulf of Akaba on the east side of the 

 peninsula, and so situated that the product was brought to Egypt both 

 by sea and by land. They were opened by Eamses III., the second king 



