Placer Mining:
- This was the most common method and involved separating gold from sand and gravel deposits.
- In placer mining, gold-bearing gravels are collected from riverbeds or alluvial plains.
- The Egyptians would crush and pan the gravels, allowing water to wash away the lighter materials.
- The heavier gold particles would settle at the bottom, and then the gold could be collected.
Underground Mining:
- Egyptians also used underground mining techniques to access gold deposits found in veins or lodes.
- Miners would dig deep shafts and tunnels to follow the gold-bearing veins.
- They used simple tools like chisels, hammers, and fire setting (heating the rock and then cooling it rapidly to weaken it) to break up the rock and extract the gold-containing ore.
- The ore would then be brought to the surface for further processing.
Additionally, the Egyptians sometimes used a technique known as "amalgamation" to separate gold from other materials. This process involves mixing gold-containing ore with mercury, which forms an alloy with gold. The mercury is then heated to evaporate, leaving behind the purified gold.
