The Ancient Worker Village at Deir El Medineh

lwoodie
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Editor Pick

Deir el-Medina (the Workers' Village)

  • February 15, 2008
  • Rated 2 of 5 by Liam Hetherington from Manchester, United Kingdom
Deir el-Medina (the Workers' Village)

It was not just the nobility who got in on the afterlife gig in ancient Egypt. The construction and decoration of their temples and grandiose funerary architecture depended upon a specialised class of masons and artists. Well, less a class than a caste really, as fathers passed their prerogatives down to their children. When they were not paid on time, the workers downed tools and waited for their godly overlords to hastily make amends. Trade union militancy in dynastic Egypt got results!

One of the privileges these workers had, was the right to create their own tombs in their off time. At Deir el-Medina, you can still see the remains of their township. The main attraction is the tombs they left behind. The colours that tint the walls are, if anything, even brighter than in the tomb of Ramses IV. The subject matter is also not nearly so po-faced - here you can see scenes such as cats fighting with snakes, dancers and musicians, and ancestor spirits - birds with the heads of humans. If this is the pop culture of the second millenia BC, it is much more entertaining and easily accessible than the spells, wards, and cartouches decorating the graves of their lords and masters.

From journal Sunrise, Sunset: 24 Hours in Luxor

Editor Pick

The Ancient Worker Village at Deir El Medineh

  • June 17, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by lwoodie from Oak Hill, Virginia
The Ancient Worker Village at Deir El Medineh

One of the stops in Luxor was an ancient worker village. The people who constructed the tombs of the kings were never allowed to mingle in society again for fear that they would divulge the secret location of the tombs. They made villages nearby the kings resting places with winding streets and connected domiciles. The workers were buried in those villages, usually in unadorned holes in the mountain or pits in the desert sand, as was common among poor Egyptians. The villagers at Deir El Medineh, though, decided that their burial places were just as worthy of beautiful adornment as the kings were.

Under the cover of night, the people painted the graves of the dead, making offering scenes that rivaled those of the kings. They didn’t carve their figures into stone as they did with the kings – probably because they did have access to the tools. But their tombs were more vibrant than the kings after so many years, with mustards and red jumping out at you from the walls the moment you step foot in the chamber.

From journal Egypt: The Jewel of the Nile

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