Meet the Museum: Gold of the Desert

ABOUT THE EVENT

Gold is synonymous with the grandeur and splendour of ancient Egypt. 

While objects like Tutankhamun's mask are world-famous, very little is known about how ancient Egyptians extracted gold from the distant desert - or how this vast extraction enterprise was organised. 

Visiting Egyptologist, Nubiologist and archaeologist Dr Julien Cooper of Macquarie University shares insights into the workings of Egypt’s gold industry, drawing on ancient texts and new archaeological surveys in eastern Sudan.

This is a story that traces a surprising path from the Nile through the remote deserts of Upper Egypt and Sudan, a domain controlled by foreign desert nomads.