The volume discusses the travertine (Egyptian alabaster) quarries at
Hatnub, in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Most of the archaeological
remains date to the Old and Middle Kingdoms, but there was also a
significant encampment during the New Kingdom. Using archaeological and
textual evidence from Hatnub, the volume addresses some of the social
and economic issues relating to the Ancient Egyptian procurement of
materials from remote sites. It explores issues such as the provisioning
and organization of Egyptian quarrying and mining expeditions, the
nature of the key groups of workmen involved in quarrying, and the
ritualisation of areas of remote, liminal human activity in the
pharaonic period.