Deir el-Medina
The workers’ village of Deir el-Medina is located in a small valley southeast of the Valley of the Kings from the New Kingdom period. It consists of a main street running north-south and several side streets, with approximately 70 houses.
Deir el-Medina was the residence for the workers who built and decorated the tombs of the kings. It is likely that the village was founded during the reign of Thutmose I, as his name was found inscribed on many brick fragments on the city’s outer wall. Each house typically had an entrance or reception hall used for private religious rituals, followed by a living room with a column-supported ceiling and a small storage room, which was the main room. This led to smaller rooms with sleeping areas and a staircase to the roof. An open space behind the house served as the kitchen. The workers were often called “servants” in the main room.
Deir el-Medina is one of Egypt’s most important archaeological sites because it provides extensive information about the daily lives of these ancient workers. Its location was chosen for its proximity and easy access to the nearby tombs and temples where they worked. The village covered about 5,600 square meters and was protected by an outer wall. The main entrance was on the north side, guarded by a watch post, with another guard post to the south for security. Worker cemeteries were located to the east and west of the village.
Excavations in the area were conducted by Italian and French missions between 1905 and 1940. Notably, Deir el-Medina witnessed the first recorded labor strike in history in 1156 BCE during the reign of Ramses III, when workers protested to demand overdue wages and marched to the capital Thebes to assert their rights.
The workers used ostraka—pottery shards or limestone flakes—to draw sketches and write texts as a cheaper alternative to papyrus. Many ostraka are now held in museums worldwide, including the Petrie Museum, Ashmolean Museum, and Oxford Metropolitan Museum. They were used both for writing and for teaching beginners to draw and write.
After a work break, workers created humorous cartoons depicting animals and other themes from stories, literature, art, and sports. The workforce was divided into teams of 40 to 60 men, sometimes up to 120 for large projects or tombs. Each team had a foreman and deputy, two supervisors, a chief painter, and a master sculptor.