La Brújula Verde reports that some miners in ancient Egypt faced harsh conditions. Gold exploitation in Egypt dates back thousands of years, but reached its peak during the Ptolemaic period (304–30 b.c.), when government authorities controlled and operated as many as 40 mines. Over the past five years, French researchers have been investigating the mining site of Ghozza, in Egypt's Eastern Desert, and have revealed a village with various streets, residential blocks, administrative buildings, and baths. Inscriptions found at the site suggest that some workers were paid, but recently discovered iron shackles dating to the third century b.c. indicate that...