Praying in the dark

This paper focuses on the religious practices in the Roman emerald mines of the Smaragdos. The recent archaeological work in this area, corresponding with the current Wadi el Gemal National Park in the Egyptian Eastern Desert, is showing the relevance of sacred spaces and ritual activities in the li...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Oller Guzmán, Joan|||0000-0001-5002-4914
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:322080
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/322080
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Smaragdos
Emerald mining
Wadi Sikait
Religion
Blemmyes
Descripción
Sumario:This paper focuses on the religious practices in the Roman emerald mines of the Smaragdos. The recent archaeological work in this area, corresponding with the current Wadi el Gemal National Park in the Egyptian Eastern Desert, is showing the relevance of sacred spaces and ritual activities in the life of the mining communities in this region. We will offer a first approach to these religious activities, analysing the temples from the Sikait settlement and several recently discovered elements found in the emerald mines in a wide chronological framework going from the Early Roman until the Byzantine (or Blemmyan) period.