Deir el-Medina

Deir el-Medina was an ancient Egyptian settlement on the west bank of the Nile near Thebes, home to artisans who built and decorated royal tombs.

Sennedjem: An artisan of Deir el-Medina whose richly furnished tomb was discovered intact in 1886. His tomb offers unusually vivid evidence of an artisan’s burial and household status.
Theban necropolis: The ancient Egyptian burial landscape on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes. Deir el-Medina housed workers serving this extensive royal and elite cemetery.
Tomb of Rekhmire: The Theban tomb of the Eighteenth Dynasty official Rekhmire, decorated with scenes of crafts and foreign tribute. Its scenes depict skilled production and administrative oversight relevant to the artisans’ work.
Tomb of Sennedjem: A richly decorated New Kingdom tomb at Deir el-Medina, discovered with its burial goods in 1886. Its preserved contents provide a rare, concrete case of local funerary practice.
Strike action in ancient Egypt: Collective work stoppages by ancient Egyptian laborers, documented notably at Deir el-Medina. The workers’ protest is among the earliest recorded strikes in history.
Pashedu: An ancient Egyptian artisan associated with Deir el-Medina and a decorated tomb in the Theban necropolis. His tomb shows the skilled work residents carried from royal commissions into private burial spaces.
Valley of the Kings: A royal burial ground west of Thebes used chiefly during Egypt’s New Kingdom. The settlement’s crews excavated and decorated tombs in this nearby royal valley.
Turin Strike Papyrus: An ancient Egyptian record describing work stoppages by Deir el-Medina workers during Ramesses III’s reign. It records workers protesting delayed provisions, revealing the settlement’s dependence on state rations.
Deir el-Medina ostraca: The large body of inscribed pottery and limestone flakes found at Deir el-Medina. These texts preserve household messages, sketches, accounts, and disputes in residents’ own setting.
Ancient Egyptian law: The institutions and practices through which disputes and offenses were handled in ancient Egypt. Deir el-Medina documents preserve petitions and legal proceedings involving ordinary residents.

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