The ancient Egyptian pyramids, temples and tombs were not, as previously thought, built by slaves, but by skilled and valued workmen. There are several surviving villages where these workmen lived while they were working on large projects.
In her lecture The Life of Tomb Builders at Deir el-Medina Hazel McGuinness, secretary of the Horus Egyptology Society in Wigan, told us that the largest of these, Deir el-Medina, was built for tomb builders who created the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. As well as the village itself there are tombs that the workmen created for each other, and a large rubbish pit which contains household goods and small sketches and notes written on shards of broken pottery known as ostraca.
Through these she painted a vivid picture not only of their working practices, routines and grievances (including a strike) but also their home lives and personal relationships.
As much of the information we have on the Egyptians comes from temples and tombs it is easy to think that they were mainly interested in death and glory. Hazel opened a door onto the lives of ordinary people; sometimes vibrant, sometimes mundane but always fascinating.
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