In 1905, an Italian archeologist and orientalist Ernesto Schiaparelli, has immortalized his name to the discovery of the tomb of Nefertari, wife of Ramses the first major II, he made another surprising discovery.On the west bank of the Nile across from Luxor, he found a group of Theban necropolis, and right next to it - a village of artisans who built the magnificent temples of the Valley of the Kings.Settlement is, Deir el-Medina, now known to every Egyptologist as a "place of truth", undistorted mirror, showing how craftsmen lived in Egypt of the pharaohs.
Deir el-Medina came under Pharaoh Thutmose I, about the middle of the XVI century.BC.e.However, true art craft was familiar to ancient Egyptians long before this event.Archaeologists have known for skillful product of extremely high quality, dating from the early Bronze Age (about 3 thousand. BC. E.).Bronze and copper to make instruments, utensils, statues and weapons.Iron the first metal was so scarce that the ancient Egyptians regarded him as the fallen stars, sent from heaven.
Craftsmen in ancient Egypt, working with metals, have always been in the price, but there was no one more important jewelers that processed gold and precious stones.Many ornaments and religious attributes, found in the tombs of pharaohs and temples, are unmatched so far, and the technology of their production is not solved today.
other distinguished group of craftsmen were the ones who worked with wood.It was connected with a deficit of high-quality wood: on both banks of the Nile grew, mainly palm trees, plane trees so sycamore.Among them are usually made furniture.The monopoly ownership of Pharaoh trade allows to deliver to Egypt from Eastern countries pine trunks, marching on the ship needs.And from the South imported most precious ebony from which manufactured luxury items and furniture for the upper strata of society.
Independently were artisans who created stone individual architectural elements of majestic tombs and temples.Despite the relatively privileged position, they are entirely dependent on the orders of the pharaoh or priest.Nobody, except for them, "architectural excesses" were not needed.
For ordinary people intended product of clay and reeds.Craftsmen in ancient Egypt to mass production of pottery utensils and wicker chairs, mats, baskets.The dishes are often found in the form of jewelry pieces, reliefs, images of gods, humans and animals.
Production of linen dates back to the first dynasty of pharaohs.Weaving it using the vertical and horizontal machines.Made and paint to paint it.About colorful linen clothes can be judged by the color murals in tombs and temples.
The picture would be incomplete without mentioning the manufacture of papyrus, which has become an essential symbol of ancient Egyptian history.The monopoly on harvest and processing of cane growers of the abundant Nile Delta, as Pharaoh.Craftsmen in ancient Egypt treated reed fibers and stems, and gets the papyrus for writing, through which reached us valuable information about the events that took place thousands of years ago.
of the discovered during excavations at Deir el-Medina, many details like a mosaic made up a single picture, showing the lives of artisans in ancient Egypt.On the one hand, they were slaves to the secrets of his involvement in the construction of tombs: each of them took care manager, and the village separated from the rest of the world by high walls.However, they were allowed to live with their wives and children.And in general compared with other artisans their position was considered privileged.
From Deir el-Medina is connected to an astonishing event of the ancient world - the first strike in the history of mankind!Yes, craftsmen in ancient Egypt once dared to defend their rights, after a long time they did not pay anything for their efforts.The document talks about this so called "Papyrus strikes."
Anyone who has ever been in Egypt, visiting its museums, saw the creation of human hands at the time, erected grandiose structures, understands the main wonder of the world here - not the pyramids and sarcophagi, and create them the common people who knew a lot about his craft andNever in his lifetime did not receive him a worthy reward.
