Four thousand years ago, in the rugged Eastern Desert of Egypt, pharaohs sent thousands of workers to mine shimmering amethyst — gemstones destined to adorn the jewelry of ancient Egyptian royalty. Today, that same desert still holds their story.
For the past decade, CSUSB’s Wadi el-Hudi Expedition has been uncovering the lives of these ancient miners — studying their settlements, mines, temples, inscriptions, and even their everyday trash to understand how they lived and worked in one of the harshest environments on earth. This Winter Intercession 2025/2026, our CSUSB team will return to Egypt to excavate a rare desert settlement used by ancient miners — and to explore a long-lost fortress that only our team has ever visited. But this isn’t just about ancient history — it’s about opportunity. CSUSB students are at the heart of this discovery. From digging in the desert sands to publishing groundbreaking research, our students gain unparalleled hands-on experience that transforms their education. Back at CSUSB, their work continues. Students research artifacts and archaeological contexts — contributing directly to presentations, videos, and academic publications. Others bring history to life by creating immersive 3D models of entire archaeological sites. Using over 500,000 photographs taken in the field, students have learned cutting-edge tools like ArcGIS, Metashape, Blender, and Unreal Engine to digitally rebuild ancient Egypt. With help from the xREAL Lab, we’re now preparing to launch a fully interactive 3D experience — allowing anyone, anywhere, to explore this ancient world virtually.
Your support makes this possible. Every contribution helps fund student travel, research, and technological innovation — giving our students the chance to stand where ancient miners once stood, uncover history with their own hands, and share it with the world.
Join us in unearthing the past and empowering the future. Together, we can bring the ancient world - and our students' dreams - to life!
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