Ramessid Daily Life (Part 2). Why did a tomb-builder skip work for “drinking with Khonsu”? Why was Parahotep never invited to parties? And what did it mean if you dreamed about drinking wine? Records from Deir el-Medina, in the reign of Ramesses II, illuminate aspects of daily life and the concerns of ordinary folks.
In this episode, we explore the Absentee List (Ostracon EA 5634) and the Dream Book of Qen-her-khopeshef (Papyrus Chester Beatty III).
For Full transcript, visit Patreon.com/egyptpodcast
The Absentee List
One day, around 1253 BCE, a scribe at Deir el-Medina sat down to work. From his satchel, made of linen, he pulled forth a bunch of small pottery sherds. They were covered in notes that recorded work in the Valley of the Kings. Alas, the dockets were haphazard and disorderly, the scribe needed to organise them.
The writer (whose name is lost) grabbed a loose chunk of limestone about 38cm long (14 inches). On the surface of this piece, he began to carefully copy the notes from his pottery shards. They concerned the workers who built tombs in the Valley (and other parts of the necropolis). Specifically, their absences. The scribe was collating a year’s worth of records about the tomb-builders, and what days they didn’t come to work. The list survives to this day, and it gives fun insights to life in the ancient villages.[1]
In the first month of Akhet (the flood season, around August), the scribe made a note of several absences. On day 14, the worker Pendua was away, because he was “drinking with Khonsu.” That wasn’t a euphemism. Khonsu was another worker (named after the god), and on the same day the scribe recorded him absent, along with a third man who was also “drinking.” They weren’t skiving off; the manager made a note that Khonsu was “in his celebration” (m Hb-f). Possibly a birthday or personal anniversary.[2] Such occasions were a time for celebration with family and close friends. Guests would bring gifts (especially nice food),[3] and celebrate with beer.[4] Parties like this are abundant in the records from Deir el-Medina, which is easily the best-preserved settlement (and community) in all of ancient Egypt. Thanks to records like these, we can get snapshots of ordinary life in the days of Ramesses II.
The scribe continued with his list. Khonsu and Pendua were absent, for their private festival. Fair enough. The next day, the worker Paherypedjet was absent, and he remained so for nine days over the next couple weeks. He had a good excuse: the worker was attending to a colleague who was sick. Apparently, Paherypedjet had some training as a physician. He also took days off to “make a remedy for the wife of the Scribe,” referencing the “Big Boss” of the village. We’ll meet him in a moment.
Beyond the doctor, there were plenty of absences due to illness. The early winter (III and IV Akhet) was particularly bad, lots of people off sick (or mr, “ill”).[5] Sometimes the ailments were quite specific, for example eye injuries. Chiselling stone underground, with only oil lamps for light, tomb-builders were frequently absent due to “suffering with his eyes” (Snii rt.f).[6] Some of the workers were quite melodramatic about it. A letter, written on a shard of stone, preserves the complaints of a worker dealing with this ailment. His name was Pay, and he asked his son to fetch some medicine:
“A message from the artist Pay, to his son… Do not turn your back on me, for I am unwell. Do not be sparing in tears for me, for I am in this darkness (blind)… even my lord Amun has turned his back on me. May you bring me a bit of honey for my eyes, as well as some ochre that has been freshly moulded into sticks… Quickly! Get to it! Am I not your father? Now, I am incapacitated, and I am searching for my eyesight, but it no longer exists…”[7]
Hopefully the son delivered the honey and ochre quickly, and Pay recovered his faculties.
The Chief Scribe (Qenherkhopeshef, Chapter 1)
The scribe carried on tabulating the absences. A few more feasts and festivals, for various workers; some illnesses.
There was also the “extra” work. Jobs not related to the royal tombs, but part of the larger local economy. It happened frequently. The Absentee record has dozens of entries were men are absent because they are “with his boss” (m-a Hry.f).[8] It’s not always clear which boss. But sometimes the record is specific. For example, in Year 40 the head Scribe (Manager) was a man named Qen-her-khopeshef.[9] He was a demanding boss. Across several months, Qen-her-khopeshef requisitioned team members repeatedly. He often had them “carrying stones” (fAy inrw) somewhere in the region.[10] The work could be difficult; on one occasion, the Scribe was “causing them to fetch stones from the top of the mountains at midday, exactly.”[11] That work took place in the season Shemu, around May or June. To put that in perspective, in May of 2025 temperatures in Luxor could reach 45-celsius (113 farenheit). Imagine working on top of a mountain, with no shade, carrying stones in that kind of weather. You have to imagine the workers were not happy with Qenherkhopeshef.
Qenherkhopeshef’s management style was not universally popular. One letter, from Deir el-Medina, records the complaints of a worker under the Scribe’s authority.[12] Writing directly to Qenherkhopeshef, the author said: “The Scribe of the Outline (or Draughtsman), Pa-Ra-Hotep, writes to his superior, the Scribe of the Place of Truth Qen-her-khopeshef, in life, prosperity, and health. (Now,) what is the meaning of this negative attitude that you are adopting towards me? To you, I’m like a donkey! If there is work, bring the donkey! If there is fodder, bring the ox! But if there is beer (for a party), you never call for me. You only ask for me when there is work to be done.”
Parahotep (or “The Sun is Pleased”) had a tense relationship with his boss. It’s possible that Qenherkhopeshef was too demanding on his subordinate; or he may have been using the artist for physical labour unsuited to his status.[13] On the other hand, there may have been a larger issue. Regarding the beer parties (and not being invited), Parahotep continued: “Upon my head, if I am a man who behaves badly with beer, (then) do not ask for me. But it is good for you to take notice … I am a man who is lacking beer in his house. I am seeking to fill my stomach by writing to you.”
That second part changes the dynamic slightly. Perhaps Qenherkhopeshef wasn’t hostile to Parahotep personally; maybe he was trying to sort out a worker who had a drinking problem.[14] By putting him to labour, and not inviting him to the parties, the Scribe was taking a “tough love” approach to a messy situation. On the other hand, driving the worker too hard may have exacerbated the problem, causing Parahotep to seek rest and solace in the bottle, so to speak. All of that is educated speculation, because we don’t know Qenherkhopeshef’s side of this story. But Parahotep’s phrasing does hint that, maybe, he had a problem.
If Qenherkhopeshef was grumpy, or overbearing, there may have been a personal reason for it. One of the Scribe’s private artefacts includes a magical charm against headaches.[15] The spell addresses an “obnoxious” being called Sehak, possibly foreign,[16] and commands him to “get back.” If the being continues to afflict Qenherkhopeshef, the spell-caster promises to “come forth” and do battle with him.
The Dream Book
Perhaps fittingly for a scribe, Qenherkhopeshef was kind of a nerd. He owned an extensive library of documents, and he left multiple inscriptions concerned with record-keeping and history.[17] Some of these are practical, like an ostracon bearing a list of princes, royal sons of Ramesses II.[18] That would come in handy when working on temple walls, keeping the sons in proper order. He also had a list of Kings, of the 18th Dynasty, which might be used in religious rituals related to the royal ancestors.[19]
He also had a collection of papyri. The biggest one is in the British Museum, known as Chester Beatty III.[20] On one side, it bears a copy of the “Battle of Kadesh” story, handwritten by Qenherkhopeshef himself. Apparently, he had terrible handwriting; multiple scholars have commented on his scrawling script, which sometimes seems almost illegible.[21]
The Scribe was also interested in dreams. On the same papyrus, Qenherkhopeshef owned a catalogue of dreams and the omens they might imply.[22] They included things like:[23]
“If a man sees himself in a dream, eating the flesh of a donkey: it is good, it means a promotion…
“If a man sees himself… drinking wine: it is good, it means living in Ma’at.
“If a man sees himself destroying all his clothes: it is good, it means a release from his worries.
“If a man sees himself cutting (planks of) wood: it is good, it means his enemies are dead.
The omens could also be negative:
“If a man sees himself drinking warm beer: it is bad, it means bad things will come upon him.
“If a man sees himself with pain on one side of (his body): it is bad, it means something will be taken from him.
“If a man sees himself being bitten by a dog: it is bad, it means magic will attach itself to him.
“If a man sees himself with his teeth falling out, it is bad: it means that he will die on account of his those in his household.”
[1] O. BM 5634. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA5634; Deir el Medina online entry; Kitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions: Translations (RITA), III, 361—368.
[2] Davies, B. G. (2018). Life Within the Five Walls: A Handbook to Deir el-Medina, 117—119.
[3] O. DM 952 (online) and O. Cairo CG 25660 (online).
[4] O. DEM 570 (online) records a “drinking party,” apparently related to a coffin (delivery?) in Dynasty 20. RITA VI, 470.
[5] Janssen, Jac. J. (1980). Absence from work by the necropolis workmen of Thebes. Studien Zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 8, 127–152. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25150069.pdf.
[6] Davies, Life Within the Five Walls, 5; contemporary letter O. Berlin P.11247 (online), see Wente, Letters, 142 (185); KRI III, 532—533; RITA III, 372—373.
[7] Davies, Life Within the Five Walls, 5; contemporary letter O. Berlin P.11247 (online), see Wente, Letters, 142 (185); KRI III, 532—533; RITA III, 372—373.
[8] Davies, Life Within the Five Walls, 7; Cooney, Cost of Death (2007), 164 n. 124, 169 n. 143; Cooney, K. M. (2008). Profit or exploitation? The production of private Ramesside tombs within the west Theban funerary economy. Journal of Egyptian History, 1, 79–115.
[9] Davies, Life Within the Five Walls, 257—260; Černý, J. (2001). A Community of Workmen at Thebes in the Ramesside Period (2nd edn), 329—337.
[10] Janssen, “Absence from work,” 143—144.
[11] RITA IV, 166; RITANC IV, 209.
[12] O. DM 303 (online); Wente, E. F. (1990). Letters from Ancient Egypt, 149.
[13] Černý, A Community of Workmen, 336—337.
[14] Davies, Life Within the Five Walls, 259.
[15] Donker van Heel, K. (2016). Mrs. Naunakhte & Family: The Women of Ramesside Deir el-Medina, Mrs. Naunakhte & Family, 39—40.
[16] Edwards, I. E. S. (1968). Ḳenḥikhopshef’s Prophylactic Charm. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 54, 155–160. https://doi.org/10.2307/3855919
[17] Davies, Life Within the Five Walls, 258—259; Donker van Heel, K. (2016). Mrs. Naunakhte & Family: The Women of Ramesside Deir el-Medina, 38—40.
[18] Samie, A. R. S. H. A. (2009). Hieratic Ostraca of the Ramesside Period in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo: Documentation, Classification and Commentary [Unpublished MA Thesis], 106—111, pl. XXX, fig. 30a, b.
[19] See El Shazly, Y. (2015). Royal Ancestor Worship in Deir el-Medina During the New Kingdom. Available on Academia.edu.
[20] Gardiner, A. H. (1935). Hieratic Papyri in the British Museum, Third Series: Chester Beatty Gift, I, 7—27.
[21] Gardiner, Chester Beatty Gift, I, 23—24; Donker van Heel, Mrs. Naunakhte & Family, 39.
[22] Gardiner, Chester Beatty Gift, I, 11—23.
[23] Translations by Gardiner, Chester Beatty Gift, I, 11—19; see also Szpakowska, K. M. (2003). Behind Closed Eyes: Dreams and Nightmares in Ancient Egypt.
