Mons Porphyrites
Mons Porphyrites (his diebus Jabal Abu Dukhkhan appellatus) est nomen lapicidarum temporis Romani in orientalibus Aegypti desertis. Fere 45 chiliometra a mari ad viam Caenopolim in valle Nili fluminis et Myum Hormum (Abu Sha’ar Al-Qibli), quae urbs Rubro mari adiacet, connectens atque 55 chiliometra ab Hurghada in occidentem versus situs est. Mons e saxis igneis praecambrianis constat. In lapidicinis porphyrites coloris purpurei vel nigri albis vel roseis crystallis spathi obsitus effodiebatur, qui rarissimus repertus et ideo maximi pretii erat. Porphyrites imperialis tantum in parvo spatio fere sex chiliometrorum quadratorum invenitur.

Historia 
Lapidicinae inter annos 29 et 335 exercebantur; illae boreo-occidentales antiquiores fuisse videntur. Ob lapides repertos coniectari licet lapidicinas iam antea exercitas esse, testimonia tamen desunt.

Columnae et aliae e porphyrita sculptae res per Nilum perferri curabantur. Singulae lapidicinae in summis montibus sitae sunt. In Wadi Abu Ma’amel castellum lapidicinis tuendis ac administrandis collocatum est. Ut in aliis lapidicinis ἀρχιτέκτων lapides et res ex iis confectas probabat. Plurimi eorum, qui opus faciebant, erant servi, captivi, damnati ad metalla, milites et mercennarii, qui soli operis periti erant. Tempore persecutionum Christianorum saeculo quarto ineunte multos Christianos damnatos ad metalla in Monte Porphyrite in labore fuisse ecclesia variaque reperta minora testimonio sunt.

Annis 1930 Faruq rex Aegypti per breve tempus saxa effodiri iussit, quae imprimis Cairi ad aedificandum adhibita sunt.

Usus porphyritae lapidis

Notae

Bibliographia 
Brown, V. M. et Harrell, J. A. (1995). Topographical and petrological survey of ancient Roman quarries in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. In: Maniatis, v N. et alii (ed.): The Study of Marble and Other Stones in Antiquity. ASMOSIA III, Athen, Transactions of the 3rd International Symposium of the Association for the study of marble and other stones in Antiquity. Londinii 1995, ISBN 1-873132-01-8, 221–234.
Klemm, Rosemarie et Klemm, Dietrich D. (1993). Steine und Steinbrüche im alten Ägypten. Berolini et al., ISBN 3-540-54685-5.
Maxfield, Valeria A. et Peacock, David (1999). Mons Porphyrites. In: Bard, Kathryn A. (ed.): Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. Londinii, ISBN 0-415-18589-0, 531–534.
Maxfield, Valerie A. (2021). Stone quarrying in the Eastern Desert with particular reference to Mons Claudianus and Mons Porphyrites. In: Mattingly, David et Salmon, John B.  (ed.): Economies beyond agriculture in the Classical World (= Leicester-Nottingham studies in ancient society. Vol 9). Londinii / Novi Eboraci, ISBN 0-415-21253-7, 143–170.
Maxfield, Valerie A. et Peacock, David (2001. The Roman Imperial Quarries: Survey and Excavation at Mons Porphyrites 1994–1998. Vol. 1: Topography and Quarries (= Excavation Memoirs. Vol. 67). Londinii, ISBN 0-85698-152-4.

Nexus externi 
 https://web.archive.org/web/20120813210130/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1999/417/special.htm (viae et lapidicinae in orientalibus Aegypti desertis) - visum die 11-07-2023
 https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195222/http://www.ecplanet.com/foto.php?imm=Lp57.jpg&epochi=1032675465 (imago montis cum ruinis) - visum die 11-07-2023
 [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928145343/http://www.stonefoundation.org/stonexus/05_issue/64-65.pdf (Via Porphyrites; PDF) - visum die 11-07-2023
 saudiaramcoworld.com (Werner, Louis (1998). Via Porphyrites; PDF) - visum die 11-07-2023

Imperium Romanum
Loci archaeologici Aegypti
Oeconomia