Finnish researchers dig through millennia in the Valley of the Kings

University of Helsinki ^ | Wednesday, January 28, 2009 | Sanna Agullana

[SunkenCiv]

The hut village offers rare insight into everyday life in ancient Egypt.

"In the early twentieth century, archaeologists were only interested in the tombs of kings. The workmen's huts they discovered were seen as a necessary evil in the quest for the real treasures."

"Now several international research groups on different excavations are delving into everyday life and work in the Valley of the Kings. This seems to be a trend in archaeology right now," Toivari-Viitala says.

Her research group wants to find out why the hut village was built on the slope of a mountain, halfway between the construction site and Deir-el-Medina. They are also interested in how many workers lived in the village at a time, when they lived there, and what their role was in the construction work.

"Comparing the names found in the village and in Deir-el-Medina provides useful information. Judging from the construction methods, settlement in the village can be divided into two separate periods: the initial settlement and a later one."

For the time being, much is up to speculation, but Toivari-Viitala believes that the coming four field seasons, three months each, will see results.

"The working conditions are not nearly as difficult as I thought they would be. The cool winds in the mountains nicely alleviate the heat."

The research group working on the "Workmen's huts in the Theban mountains" project is planning to return to the Valley of the Kings in October.

[SunkenCiv]

Bernard Bruyère

Google

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·

[Tainan]

Because its always better to live up-hill than down-hill.

[Fred Nerks]

SERVANTS OF THE PLACE OF TRUTH

The workmen were called ‘Servants of the Place of Truth’, since the ancient name of the site was Set Maat, the Place of Truth. They were known collectively as men of the gang, and divided into two gangs or iswt, Left side and Right side. This term was taken from the personnel manning a boat, and here meant perhaps depending which side of the tomb on which they worked. The term iswt signified a military-style unit working under a foreman who controlled the everyday tomb-building activity.

Several scribes were in attendance to record the work that took place, worker’s absences, payments, supplies received, etc. In the middle of the reign of Ramesses II there were at least 48 men, but by the end of the reign that number was down to 32, perhaps because the tomb had been completed. In the reign of Ramesses III, 40 men were named, but in the reign of his successor Ramesses IV the gang was expanded to 120 men. But Ramesses IV ruled only 6 years and the gang was cut back to 60.

Each gang consisted of stone-masons, carpenters, chief carpenters, sculptors, and draughtsmen. They were controlled by two foremen, each known as the ‘overseer of construction in the Great place’ in the 18th Dynasty, and then just the ‘chief of the gang in the Place of Truth.’