Jingszo !

Conclusion

The discovery of shackles at Ghozza reveals that at least part of the workforce was composed of forced labour. The exact living conditions of these individuals remain unclear because their dwelling places have not yet been identified, indeed the village set-up seems to suggest that the population was free to move around in general. More than half of the village has been excavated so far, and excavations will continue in the hope of identifying any containment areas.

In the meantime, the discovery of the shackles at Ghozza serves as a reminder of the harsh realities faced by workers in the Ptolemaic gold mines. Beneath the grandeur of Egypt's wealth and the imposing mountains of the Eastern Desert lies a history of exploitation. The gold extracted from these mines helped finance the ambitions of Egypt's rulers, but it came at a significant human cost.