BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhuanet) -- An ancient gold-processing and panning camp has been discovered by archaeologists along the Nile River about 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) south of Cairo that is thought to be the first physical evidence of where Egypt obtained its vast gold resources.

The archaeologists surmise non-Egyptians called Kushites, who ruled Nubia -- now known as northern Sudan -- gathered gold at the site from about 2000 B.C. to 1500 B.C. and used it to trade with Egypt.

"Based on what we've found, the kingdom of Kush was significantly larger and more powerful than anyone thought," said Geoff Emberling, an archaeologist at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute and co-leader of the expedition. Emberling explained most other clues of the Kushite's influence have been inferred from written Egyptian records.

"If Kushites were processing gold way out here, more than 200 miles from their capital city Kerma, there had to have been good logistics and discipline," said expedition co-leader Bruce Williams. "You can only imagine the chaos of an unattended gold mining operation."

The archaeologists think the Kushite rulers in Kerma ultimately used the gold as leverage against the powerful Egyptians, who eventually took over the weakened Nubian kingdom with military might by 1500 B.C.

"The kingdom of Kush and the Egyptians were close trading buddies, but Egypt had three classic enemies: the Asiatics, the Libyans and the Kushites," Emberling said. "Their cultures clashed, and the Kushites had more resources available to them, which the Egyptians wanted."

Both Emberling and Williams said there is still a lot to learn from the new site, but all archaeological teams in the area are hurrying to excavate a 100-mile stretch of the Nile, which will flood in about a year.

"There's a dam being built just upstream, and it's almost done. About 2,500 sites no one has even touched are going to be destroyed," Emberling said. "We have only one more season to salvage these sites, and that's it. In spite of all the work we're doing, we're going to lose an enormous amount of history."

(Agencies)