A3: Deir el-Medina

Question 1

what is a dynasty?

Answer 1

a line of hereditary rulers of a country.

Question 2

what is a regnal year?

Answer 2

a year of the reign of a sovereign/ruler

Question 3

what is absolute dating?

Answer 3

determining an age on a specified chronology

Question 4

what is relative dating?

Answer 4

determining the relative order of past events, without necessarily determining their absolute age

Question 5

when was Deir el-Medina established, and throughout when did it thrive?

Answer 5

established at the start of the 18th Dynasty and thrived throughout the New Kingdom (1550–1080 BCE)

Question 6

what sources of evidence have archaeologists studied from Deir el-Medina, and what are they?

Answer 6

ostraca/ostracon (pottery fragment with inscriptions), papyrus/papyri (material from the stem of a water plant, used for writing, painting, or rope), and stela (upright slab/column with a commemorative inscription)

Question 7

why (and by who) was Deir el-Medina created?

Answer 7

founded by Amenhotep I, created as a worker’s village, home to the craftsmen of Thebes who built and decorated the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens

Question 8

where is Deir el-Medina located?

Answer 8

in Upper Egypt, in western Thebes, what is modern-day Luxor

Question 9

how was the city of Deir el-Medina preserved and what does it allow archeologists to discover?

Answer 9

buried under shifting sands of the desert, this allows archeologists to discover the first and only detailed documentation of the life of the ordinary/common people of Egypt

Question 10

when did Deir el-Medina first undergo excavations, and regarding the preservation of the artefacts, what did he state (& therefore create)?

Answer 10

first underwent excavations in 1862 by August Mariette, who stated the artifacts should not be sold, but safely stored, and thus, the Egyptian museum was created.

Question 11

what did systematic excavations (done between 1922-51) reveal about the daily life of the people of Deir el-Medina

Answer 11

revealed social interactions in the community, living & working conditions, medicine, and their average diet.

Question 12

what did funerary tombs reveal about workers?

Answer 12

revealed workers’ lives & practices, and social status, through the tomb construction, art, and grave goods

Question 13

what did the Tomb of Kha and Merit reveal about their social status, and what is this evidenced by?

Answer 13

that they were “upper class” citizens, evidenced by the sarcophagus/coffin, cloth wrapped in (still intact), and the mass amount of food (seen as a sign of wealth)

Question 14

what does the ‘Ostracon of a Feeding Mother’ reveal about New Kingdom/Deir el-Medina life?

Answer 14

reveals how society views motherhood and the role of women → status increased with more children birthed (increased even if birthed boys)

Question 15

what does ‘the Will of Nau-Nakht and the Related Documents’ reveal about New Kingdom/Deir el-Medina life (relating to law)?

Answer 15

evidence of laws surrounding inheritance & the division of assets.

Question 16

relating to the law and property, what were women able to do?

Answer 16

women could inherit, purchase, lease, or sell property, even when married

Question 17

what quote is the role of women relating to law and property?

Answer 17

“as for me, I am a free woman… I will give of my property”

Question 18

most notably, when did the workers at Deir el-Medina go on strike and why?

Answer 18

in 1158 BC due to the government’s incapability to supply them with payment

Question 19

what did this worker’s strike against the government lead to?

Answer 19

caused a period of famine, which caused chaos, causing attempts to rob Ramesses II’s tomb for valuables, shelter, and sanctuary

Question 20

true or false? worship was a daily part of Deir el-Medinan life and social structure.

Answer 20

TRUE

Question 21

who did the people of Deir el-Medina worship?

Answer 21

Amenhotep I, and his mother, Queen Ahmose-Nefertari.

Question 22

what two sources of evidence provides archeologists insight into the religious practices of Deir el-Medina?

Answer 22

stele carving depicting an ancient Egyptian worshipping the gods and a statue sculpture depicting the Egyptian god, Taweret.

Question 23

who was the goddess Taweret?

Answer 23

hippopotamus goddess of childbirth → bears the physical aspects of a fertility goddess and a fearsome protective deity

Question 24

what was often placed around households and depicted on amulets (relating to religion)?

Answer 24

statues of gods the people of Deir el-Medina (and therefore greater New Kingdom Egypt) worshipped