Deir el-Medina or Deir el-Medineh was a settlement in Ancient Egypt that was located near the Valley of the Kings. It lay between the Ramesseum and Medinet Habu and originated under Thutmose I, but the ancient Egyptians consider Amenhotep I as the founder. There was an old temple to Hathor. The ancient Egyptian name of the village was Set-Maät-her-Imenty-Waset, which translates as 'the place of the Maät (truthfulness or' cosmic order ') west of Waset (Thebes)'.
The village
The uncovering of the site was done under the direction of French archaeologists. The village is an archaeological treasure to investigate everyday life, but it must be taken into account that it was not your average village. After all, most of the villages lived on agriculture, but Deir el-Medina was home to artists and workers who were responsible for the rock tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and the tombs of nobles. The Vizier and the Pharaoh had direct control over the village.
There were about seventy houses that all had the same pattern. They consisted of four rooms: two sleeping areas, one living room and one warehouse, but next to that there was a staircase that led to the roof, where one could also stay. They also often had a cellar. The houses of people higher in rank were more spacious and had more rooms. Not far from the village is the burial place of the residents on the hill. The tombs provide clues about the way of life of the population. That is special because daily life is never depicted in (royal) tombs.
The inhabitants and their work
The community lived cut off from the rest of the outside world. They received food and water from Thebes. Every day, donkeys brought water from the Nile via a caravan. All this, of course, because it had to remain a secret. The workers were divided into two groups that symbolized both sides of a ship (starboard and port). A master builder was at the head of a group of workers. The following professions were represented in a group: sculptors, painters, drafters and woodworkers. Usually, at the beginning of the reign of a new pharaoh, they were directly instructed to start his eternal home. Over the years, the tomb, which could consist of various corridors and chambers, was prepared and sealed by the master builder. When the pharaoh died, the mummification period started. It lasted 70 days. During that period, the grave had to be completely prepared for burial. The remains then arrived in Thebes and were taken overland to the Valley of the Kings.
In Deir el-Medina, Hathor's cult became very popular in the New Kingdom. She was worshiped there in her form as Mertseger, the snake goddess. There are remnants of the original temple that was later walled and served as a Christian church for a time.
The village was used for almost the entire New Kingdom with the exception of Akhenaten's reign, when the tombs at Akhetaten were made.
The village
The uncovering of the site was done under the direction of French archaeologists. The village is an archaeological treasure to investigate everyday life, but it must be taken into account that it was not your average village. After all, most of the villages lived on agriculture, but Deir el-Medina was home to artists and workers who were responsible for the rock tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and the tombs of nobles. The Vizier and the Pharaoh had direct control over the village.
There were about seventy houses that all had the same pattern. They consisted of four rooms: two sleeping areas, one living room and one warehouse, but next to that there was a staircase that led to the roof, where one could also stay. They also often had a cellar. The houses of people higher in rank were more spacious and had more rooms. Not far from the village is the burial place of the residents on the hill. The tombs provide clues about the way of life of the population. That is special because daily life is never depicted in (royal) tombs.
The inhabitants and their work
The community lived cut off from the rest of the outside world. They received food and water from Thebes. Every day, donkeys brought water from the Nile via a caravan. All this, of course, because it had to remain a secret. The workers were divided into two groups that symbolized both sides of a ship (starboard and port). A master builder was at the head of a group of workers. The following professions were represented in a group: sculptors, painters, drafters and woodworkers. Usually, at the beginning of the reign of a new pharaoh, they were directly instructed to start his eternal home. Over the years, the tomb, which could consist of various corridors and chambers, was prepared and sealed by the master builder. When the pharaoh died, the mummification period started. It lasted 70 days. During that period, the grave had to be completely prepared for burial. The remains then arrived in Thebes and were taken overland to the Valley of the Kings.
In Deir el-Medina, Hathor's cult became very popular in the New Kingdom. She was worshiped there in her form as Mertseger, the snake goddess. There are remnants of the original temple that was later walled and served as a Christian church for a time.
The village was used for almost the entire New Kingdom with the exception of Akhenaten's reign, when the tombs at Akhetaten were made.
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