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| Deir el-Medina |
Deir el-Medina, a village of ancient Egyptian artisans involved to
the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.)
necropolis at Thebes.
It is
based on the
west bank between the Ramesseum
and Medinet Habu. The site was named
Set-Ma’at when grounded by
Tuthmosis I (r.1504–1492 B.C.E.) near the
special eleventh dynasty (2040–1991 B.C.E.)
necropolis. The artisans
were formerly known as “the
Servitors of the Place of Truth,” the laborers of the tombs in the Valleys ofthe kings and queens. Some workers were
valued for their
skills and imaginative artistry.
In some reads these workers were called “the Servants of the Place of Truth.”.
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| From the Tomb of Merit in Deir el-Medina |
The homes of these artisans had various rooms, with the workers of
higher rank basking vestibules and several architectural adornments. They also
raised elaborate funerary sites for
themselves and their
families, caricatures of the royal
tombs upon which
they hard throughout their entire
lives. Little pyramids were fashioned out of bricks, and the secret walls were
covered with stunning paintings and reliefs. The site has provided
scholars with inscribed
papyri, ostraka, and
elaborate depictions of common life.
King Amenhotep I (r. 1525–1504
B.C.E.) was an
early supporter of the
region. A temple
put up on the
site by Amenhotep III (r. 1359–1353
B.C.E.) was refurbished
by Ptolemy IV Philopator (r. 186–164, 163–145 B.C.E.). Seti I
(1306–1290 B.C.E.) put up temples to Hathor and Amun on the site.
Tahrqa (r. 690–664 B.C.E.) also built an Osirian chapel in that location.
