Egypt - Umm Balad

The Eastern Desert of Egypt is rich in minerals which were exploited to some extent by the Pharaos and, more intensively, by the Romans. The two most important sites are Mons Claudianus and Mons Porphyrites. The quarries of Umm Balad are situated on the south-western flank of the Mons Porphyrites, but the stone is not porphyry, but a grey granodiorite of indifferent quality. The stone is unexploitable because of a tendency to split in unforseen patterns, but before realizing this, the Romans had to build the praesidium, the roads, ramps etc.

The operations at Umm Balad began under Domitian and continued until Trajan’s reign when the engineers transferred to Mons Claudianus in order to extract i.a. the monoliths for Trajan’s Forum. During the reign of Anoninus Pius extraction was again attempted and soon abandoned, but during this period a number of dated ostraca were left on site. This first gave the papyrologists the impression of an Antonine operation, but a little dated material from Domitian’s time, found at the very end of the second year of excavation, eventually put the chronology straight.

The quarry had two names in antiquity. First Domitianê, but after the assasination and damnatio memoriae of Domitian it was called Kainê Latomia (New Quarry). During a study season in 2004-5 the textiles from the site were restored and treated and the botanical remains analysed.