With specific reference to artifacts, tombs or inscriptions from Deir el-Medina, Comment on the role of the town and the inhabitants.
Many years ago their once existed a village that housed the workers that helped construct extravagant tombs such as the Valley of the Kings, in Ancient Egypt. This village of roughly 500 people was known as Deir el-Medina or ‘the place of Truth’. This ancient civilization is positioned near Thebes and Luxor, on the West bank of the Nile. On this site a great number of archaeological sources such as Ostraka, Stelae, Papyrus scrolls and Graffiti have been discovered giving us insight into the lives of the inhabitants of this ancient village. As these sources are analyzed this societies happenings are revealed.
Deir el-Medina was most probably founded during the reign of Thutmes I as his name was stamped on a lot of the bricks used on the first enclosure wall of the village. But following construction of the village was carried out by Amenhotep I (1545 – 1525 BC) and his mother Ahmose Nefertari. Amenhotep I was the first new kingdom pharaoh to be buried in the proximity.
Deir el-Medina is one of the most plentiful sources of archaeological and written evidence in the Ancient world. These discoveries have showed us insight into the everyday life of these fascinating individuals. Egyptologists and Archaeologists have spent most of their lifetime studying these sources. One such Egyptologists, who helped examine the findings at Deir el-Medina was Jaroslav Černý. He made a detailed study of thousands of Ostraka pieces found durring excavation on site. After extensive study of these commercial and legal documents, Černý made the following conclusion - ‘the kings workmen … enjoyed a remarkable degree of self-government in both civil and religious matters, an interestintg feature in a monarchy governed by a highly developed officialdom and anm economically stong priestly class.’ (‘Egypt from the deathe of Ramses III to the end of the twenty- first dynasty’ by Jaroslav Černý p.710). He belives that the people of Deir el-Medina had more freedom compared to the other occupants of Egypt. This is mostly because they were of value to the pharoh, as they created their tombs. If the pharoh had treated the villagers poorly the royal tombs may be of lesser quality.
The workmen worked an eight-hour shift at the tombs, which were separated into a morning and afternoon session (with a lunch break in-between). This all happened during a ten-day workweek, with two days off. On these allotted days off, sources indicate that the workers went to home to work on their own tombs. This method of living is illustrated on a number of papyrus scrolls and limestone ostraka. The workers were separated into a number of work gangs that were divided into right and left groups as they travelled down the tomb. This system of work is described on an inscription that involved the supply of wicks to provide light when working on the tombs. ‘First month of winter, day five, consumption of wicks made on that day: right six, left six, making twelve [for the morning]; right six, left five, making eleven [afternoon], total twenty-three’. This inscription also speaks of the two days of after the working week.
Compared to most other ancient civilisations, women were treated with more respect in Deir el-Medina. The women of the village were depicted on tomb walls ,ostracon and papyri as thin and beautiful in the face, with tight revealing clothing. The women were almost always accompanied by a male partner in these demonstrations. To backup this statement further the discovery of the ‘Great Pit’ (was made originally to be a well but when the diggers never struck water the villagers used it to dispose of their rubbish) was found in 1922 and was excavated by the Archaeologist Bernard Bruyère. Within this over 100 feet deep pit was over 5000 pieces of limestone ostraka. This pit was used as a modern day rubbish tip. The ostraka had
