Providing fuel, building materials and food for gold exploitation in the Eastern Desert, Egypt: Multidisciplinary dataset of the Ptolemaic site of Samut North (late 4th c. BCE)

Egypt’s Eastern Desert, located between the Nile and Red Sea, is one of most arid regions world, where organic remains are particularly well-preserved. Archaeobotanical, archaeoentomological textual data from excavation gold mining site in Samut North, occupied at beginning Ptolemaic period (late 4th c. BCE) provides unique opportunity to explore how people managed their need for fuel, wood food a not currently well documented. Acacia (Acacia sp.) was important used all artisanal domestic heating activities. Other fuel resources (twigs, shrubs, maybe coprolites) were sporadically, only associated with contexts (cooking, heating, lighting, etc.). Wood timber wooden objects made Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forssk.) Decne. 1838, acacia, caper (cf. Capparis decidua Edgew.), tamarisk (Tamarix coniferous (Cupressus/Juniperus) woods. Food products show little diversity: barley (Hordeum vulgare L. 1753), free-threshing wheat (Triticum cf. turgidum subsp. durum/turgidum) lentils (Lens culinaris Medik. 1787). Several insects, some them attested first time an archaeological context, common woodborer or crop pests. Plants woodworking mostly local provenance charcoal produced locally, showing good knowledge desert resources. The majority came Valley oases Western limited supply wild fruits seeds. This analysis offers original dataset poorly documented though critical period, very reveals elaborate economic system networks imported products, aimed essential needs.