From: The Journal of the American Oriental Society | Date: January 1, 1997| Author: Muhly, J.D. | COPYRIGHT 1997 American Oriental Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

The Gebel el-Zeit contains ancient galena mines (though petroleum deposits might have been expected at a location known as the "Mountain of Oil"). The French conglomerate known as TOTAL (Compagnie francaise des petroles) had, in fact, been prospecting for oil in the wider region, known as the Ras Gharib (the western shore of the Red Sea, opposite the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula) and, as a gesture in enlightened corporate philanthropy, agreed to finance the fieldwork (and the ...