| Dihmit South | |
| Pushpin Map: | Egypt |
| Coordinates: | 23.6961°N 33.0306°W |
| State/Province: | Aswan Governorate |
| Country: | Egypt |
| Products: | Gold and amethyst, possibly copper |
Dihmit South is an Ancient Egyptian amethyst, gold, and possibly copper mine and fortified mining settlement dating to the Middle Kingdom. It is about 50 km south of Aswan.[1] Dihmit South is a part of four Middle Kingdom mines discovered east of Lake Nasser in 2014. The settlement was found with pottery associated with the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt, as well as hieroglyphic inscriptions, one of which is dated to year 31 of Senusret I.[2]
Dihmit South, along with the other Middle Kingdom forts in Lower Nubia, were likely constructed during the occupation of Lower Nubia from 2000 BCE to 1700 BCE. Their purpose was to control the trade along the Nile, the movement of local Nubian pastoralists, and likely to protect against incursions from the Kingdom of Kerma located south of the forts in the Upper Nile. Forts like Dihmit South were vital for the Middle Kingdom's peacetime control of Lower Nubia, as well as occasional military expeditions south of them.[3] The mine which Dihmit South was built to protect was used for gold extraction, but may have had a combined purpose of copper production as was done elsewhere during the Middle Kingdom. Modern small-scale gold prospecting still happens in the area.[4]
Material used to construct these forts was locally available bedrock, unlike the mudbrick commonly associated with Middle Kingdom construction along the Nile. The stone was not quarried, but rather harvested as loose rubble from local hillsides. These fortifications included solid walls, bastions, and windows. Dihmit South had walls whose length was approximately 310 meters and covered an area of approximately 5,900 square meters, including bastions and windows. The original wall height ranged from 1.5 to 2 meters.[5]
Dihmit South has been visited by the Wadi el-Hudi Expedition, who is currently studying the archaeology. https://wadielhudi.com/archaeological-sites/
2.https://arce.org/event/arce-dc-washington-whos-getting-amethyst-in-ancient-egypt/