Explore the Village of Deir el Medina
The home of the Pharaoh's Workmen and one of the best-preserved settlements from ancient Egypt
Male figures (2009-03) by Katy KobzeffAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The Place of Truth
Deir el Medina is a very unique ancient Egyptian village. It was called Set-Maat, "The Place of Truth". It is not only significant because of the people that lived there, but has taught historians and Egyptologists a great deal about the daily life of ancient Egyptian people.
Wall Scene from the Tomb of Tutankhamun (2004-01-12) by Kenneth GarrettAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Workemen's Village
Deir el Medina was the village of the king’s craftsmen and artists who built the tombs of the Theban necropolis. The village was established in western Thebes (modern day Luxor) at the start of the 18th Dynasty and thrived throughout the New Kingdom (1550–1080 BCE).
Stela Dedicated to the Deified King Amenhotep I and Queen Ahmose Nefertari (-1292/-1190)American Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Ahmose-Nefertari and Amenhotep I
Ahmose-Nefertari and her son, king Amenhotep I, who lived and ruled around the time the village formed, were considered the patron saints of Deir el Medina.
Ahmose-Nefertari and Amenhotep I were deified after their deaths and venerated by the inhabitants of the village. Deir el Medina was the center of their cult, and most households had scenes of the two royals in their front rooms to honor them. There was also a cult temple built.
View of Deir el MedinaAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
An Ancient city
The village has three areas: the settlement where houses were built, the necropolis where people built their tombs...
....and the temple area which includes the Chapel of Hathor, Amun Temple, and a later temple dedicated to the goddesses Hathor and Maat from the Ptolemaic Period.
Temples of Deir el MedinaAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Deir el Medina
In the Christian era, a church was built on the site of the Ptolemaic temple, which gave the village it’s modern, Arabic name meaning, “the monastery of the town”.
Ostracon Detailing the Delivery of Groceries to Deir el Medina Ostracon Detailing the Delivery of Groceries to Deir el MedinaLos Angeles County Museum of Art
A Window into Everyday Life
There are many artifacts from the village that have been discovered by archaeologists, especially writing. Surviving texts tell us about tomb robberies, divorce, women’s property rights, the price of goods, worker’s strikes, and cures for things like scorpion bites or blindness.
Tomb of Nefertari (2009-04-09) by Kenneth GarrettAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
How the Tombs were Built
Texts also provide a glimpse into ancient artistic methods. In the tombs, artists did not work alone, but in teams. One worked on the left side while another team took on the right side, supervised by two chief workmen.
Artist's Gridded Sketch of Senenmut (-1479/-1458)American Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Egyptian Artists
Each group had their own job; stonecutters carved the tomb out of the rock, draughtsman drew the outlines of the scenes and text using grids and sketching in red, and sculptors cut the figures into relief.
Tap to explore
Even though the artists worked in teams, they still had unique styles. And when they weren’t working on their king’s tombs, they built their own. In fact, Deir el medina is notable for its many well-preserved and beautifully decorated private tombs.
Story by Tessa Litecky
This story was created in association with a museum exhibition and academic conference titled Exalted Spirits: The Veneration of the Dead in Egypt through the Ages, jointly organized by The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), The American University in Cairo (AUC), and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) in Egypt.
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