Dear Old Medina Flashcards
When was it built?
18th dynasty, over 3000 years ago
What is the ancient name and what does it mean?
Set maat, place of truth
What does Deur El Medina mean?
Monastry of the town
Where was it located?
West bank of the nile, directky across from Thebes
How did the village grow?
Grew from about 12 houses lining a desert track, which kater became the main street. It was established in military lines
Who excavated the vilkage from 1862? And what did he do?
Gaston Maspero. He discovered ostraca and the unrobbed tomb of Kha and Meryt
Ostraca
Bits of broken pottery and limestone used as writing material
How many people?
600
Ladder if medina workers
Foreman Scribe Guardians Door keepers Servants in place of truth Servants of tomb Children Female slaves
Literary sources discovered?
1500 literary works.
Book of the dead
Sinuhe the Egyption (story of a runaway)
The Satire of the Trades (describing crafts)
Instructions of Ptahotep and Ani (entailing how people should behave)
plus hymns and erotic writings
Currency?
Deben. 1 goat = 3 deben, sandals always = 1 or 2 deben
Khet
Body
Ka
Soul
Akh
Spirit
Shadow
A blacked out figure
Name
On tomb, helped spirit come home
Ba
Second spirit came into existence after death
Types of tomb
Freestanding, rock cut, pyramidion
Amulets
Eye of horace, ank, scarab beetle, gade
Magic and curses
Against the dead and the living
Why is deir el medina such an important site archaelogically?
Provides a wealth of information about the lives of everyday workers. Thousands of well preserved ostraka have also been discovered
When was the first village established? Who was the pharoah?
Amenhotep 1 in 1545-1525BC
Describe the layout of the village ?
By its final stage, 70 houses stood within the village walls and 50 outside. The layout was sorrounded by a wall
Identify the layout of a typical house
A typical working family’s house contained a room with a boxed bed, reception room, cellar, storeroom, bedroom stairs to the roof , kitchen, and walls
What sort of furniture has survived ?
Well made and beautifully crafted. Stools, chairs, tables, reed mats, wooden beds and oil lamps
How did the work gangs operate?
The work gangs operated in left and right gangs working in shifts. The gangs included stonemasons and sculptors
What was the book of the dead?
Was the single most important funerary book to enable the deceased to enter the afterlife. It provided instructions
What did the cult of the pharoah involve?
Total worship of the pharoah. Involved praise and prayer
What do the contents of a tomb reveal about the life of a worker?
It reveals the implements they used and what they needed or valued in daily life
Shuty
Tax collector
Ostraka
Writing surface limestone flakes
