Earlier this year archaeologists from the University of Chicago found the first ever evidence of large-scale gold processing in the ancient Nubian kingdom of Kush—more than 55 3,500- to 4,000-year-old grinding stones along the Nile River. For centuries the ancient Egyptians coveted the famed gold of Kush, whose lands stretched along the Nile River in what is now northern Sudan.

"Even today, panning for gold is a traditional activity in the area,'' said Bruce Williams, a co-leader of the expedition.

(Read the full story and see more photos.)

(The excavations were partly funded by the National Geographic Society, which owns National Geographic News.)

—Dan Morrison

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