Deir el-Medina Refuse Pit Reveals Lives of Valley of the Kings Tomb Builders
Excavations at Deir el-Medina, the residence of tomb builders, revealed thousands of limestone and pottery artifacts that provide insight into this ancient Egyptian society. The labor force, consisting of 40 to 120 men, was organized into two teams, each responsible for half of a tomb, similar to contemporary assembly lines. They worked in ten-day shifts and lived in huts to avoid treacherous journeys home. Operations were overseen by two hereditary foremen, one of whom, Paneb, was accused of bribery, sexual assault, and theft. Attendance and wages, often compensated with grain or beer, were recorded by scribes. Illness or personal projects accounted for absences. Notably, a papyrus documents the first recorded labor strike in history during the reign of Ramesses III after 18 days without supplies. Tomb construction adhered to specific plans, with decoration executed by unnamed artists.
Key facts
- Deir el-Medina's refuse pit preserved limestone and pottery documents that make its residents the best-documented ancient Egyptian community.
- The tomb workforce consisted of roughly 40 to 120 men divided into permanent "left side" and "right side" gangs.
- Workers stayed in huts above the Valley of the Kings during the ten-day workweek because the path home was treacherous after dark and a midday return took an hour and a half.
- Two hereditary foremen supervised each gang, controlling tools, materials, rations, legal disputes, and relations with higher authorities.
- Foreman Paneb was accused of bribery, sexual assault, violent disorder, tomb robbery, and urinating on a royal sarcophagus.
- Scribes kept hereditary posts recording attendance, grain or beer wages, and construction materials.
- A papyrus records history's first labor strike during the reign of Ramesses III after workers went 18 days without provisions.
- Tomb decoration involved red-ink grids, yellow ochre drafts, red placement sketches, black corrections, carving, and single-color painting.
Entities
Artists
- Paneb
- Sennedjem
- Iyneferti
- Ramose
- Ramesses III
- Ramesses V
- Ramesses VI
- Horemheb
- Dmitrii Zhodzishskii
- Mentuwoser
Institutions
- The Collector
- Wikimedia Commons
- World History Encyclopedia
- Enciclopediarte
- British Museum
- The Met
- Unsplash
Locations
- Valley of the Kings
- Deir el-Medina
- Egypt
- Luxor
- New York
- United States