Dihmit South
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| Location | |
|---|---|
  Dihmit South | |
| Aswan Governorate | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Coordinates | 23°41′46″N 33°1′50″E / 23.69611°N 33.03056°E |
| Production | |
| 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.[2]