One of the more famous records from Deir el-Medina is the “Absentee List” (British Museum EA 5634).[1] It records absences from the workforce in Year 40-41 of Ramesses II (c.1253 BCE), and the reasons for not showing up. On day 14 in the first month of Akhet (flood season, around August), the worker Pendua was absent for “drinking with Khonsu.”
This isn’t a euphemism.
Khonsu was another member of the team. On the same day, he was absent to have “his festival,” referencing a private feast day. Such festivals are common in the records, and tend to mark personal anniversaries, the birth of children, and holy days. Khonsu was also absent several days for “illness,” for religious rites (“with his god”) and “preparing remedies” with the team’s physician, Pa-hery-pedjet.
Causes of Absence
The workers frequently took days off for secondary jobs, private business, and religious/personal events.
Common causes of absence included:[2]
Worker is “with his boss” (m-a Hry.f). Doing work for the Scribe or other overseers.
Sick (mr). Note: There is a wave of “sick/ill” (mr) in III and IV Akhet of Year 40.
Caring for a sick relative e.g. daughter, son, wife.
Eye injury/irritation: Due to the nature of their work, cutting stone and painting in small spaces illuminating by lamps, workers were often “suffering with his eye” (Snii rt.f). Treatment of this issue involved a concoction of honey (bit), ochre (sty), galeny (msdmt).
Offering to the gods (wdn n pA nTr) and “pouring water” (wAH-mw): Happens quite often, especially around the time of funerals.
Celebrating a festival (m Hb.f) and preparing for it (e.g. “brewing,” atX and “drinking” (swri).
The Workers
The Absences were organised by worker. Examples include:
Pendua: I Akhet 14, (out) drinking with Khonsu. NOTE: This is connected with a festival; Khonsu was performing “his feast” (Hb.f) I Akhet 14 & 15.
Si-Wadjyt: IV Akhet 16, “his daughter was sick.” A month later, I Peret 14, 15, “offering to the god.” A week later, I Peret 24, 25, 26, “libating for his father” (preparing his funeral?).
Wadjmose: IV Peret 23, “His daughter was sick.” A full season later, IV Shemu 6, “building his house.”
Heh-Nekhu: II Shemu 7, 8, “Wrapping (the corpse of) his mother.”
Apehty: III Shemu 21—24 “Sick,” followed by multiple “sick” days in IV Akhet. While he is sick, a man named Paherypedjet was “with Apehty” for nine days. Paherypedjet seems to be the village physician. In another entry he is “making remedies” (irt pHrt).
Nefer-Abu: IV Akhet 15, “His daughter was sick.” Then IV Akhet 17, “burying the god.” II Shemu 7, “embalming his brother” and 8, “libating for him.” IV Shemu 26, “his wife was sick(?).”
Qenherkhopeshef / Qenhikhopeshef
Through all this, we have references to “The Scribe,” which is the chief of the village, named Qenherkhopeshef.[3] This manager frequently appropriated individual workers for outside jobs, e.g. “bringing stone.” On one occasion, he commanded a team to “carry off stone from the top of the mountain at precisely midday.”[4]
Qenherkhopeshef is particularly famous as the original owner of the Chester Beatty papyri, including the celebrated “Dream Book” (P. Chester Beatty III).
Other artefacts attributable to this Chief Scribe include:
P. BM EA 10731: prophylactic against headaches.[5]
O. CG 25646: List of Dynasty 18 rulers.[6]
O. Cairo JE 72503: List of sons of Ramesses II.[7]
O. CG 25832: Two letters: vizier (recto); two junior scribes (verso).[8]
O. DEM 303: Letter of complaint from Pa-Ra-Hotep:[9] “The Scribe of the Outline, Pa-Ra-Hotep, writes to his superior, the Scribe of the Place of Truth Qen-her-khopeshef, in life, prosperity, and health. 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, you never call for me. You only ask for me when there is work to be done. Upon my head, if I am a man who behaves badly with beer, do not ask for me; hear it well in the House of Amun-Ra, King of the Gods (LPH). P.S. I am a man who is lacking beer in his house. I am seeking to fill my stomach by writing to you.” It’s unclear if Qenherkhopeshef was personally hostile to the worker or perhaps drying to “dry out” a problem drinker.[10]
Louvre: Offering-table (shared with Ramose).[11]
British Museum: Misc. objects including shabti,[12] and a headrest (funerary) with Bes.[13]
Late in life, Qenherkhopeshef married the young girl Nau-nakht (Naunakhte), who lived many decades and left a famous will and testament.[14]
References
[1] Kitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions, III, 522—523:10 (see also Translations, III, 361—368 and Davies, Ramesside Inscriptions: Notes & Comments, III, 374—377).
[2] 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
[3] Černý, J. (2001). A Community of Workmen at Thebes in the Ramesside Period (2nd edn), 329—337; Davies, B. G. (2018). Life Within the Five Walls: A Handbook to Deir el-Medina, 257—260; Davies, B. G. (1999). Who’s Who at Deir el-Medina: A Prosopographic Study of the Royal Workmen’s Community, 84—86 (online).
[4] O. DM 389 (online). Davies, Life Within the Five Walls, 7; KRI IV, 237—238; Janssen, “Absence from work,” 143—144. This event took place in the time of Sety II / Amenmesse.
[5] https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA10731; Edwards, I. E. S. (1968). Ḳenḥikhopshef’s Prophylactic Charm. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 54, 155–160. https://doi.org/10.2307/3855919
[7] 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.
[8] O. CG 25832 recto (online) verso (online); Wente, Letters,
[9] O. DM 303 (online); Černý, Ostraca Deir El Medineh IV, 16, pl. 18; KRI III, 534; RITA III, 373; Wente, E. F. (1990). Letters from Ancient Egypt, 149.
[10] Davies, Life Within the Five Walls, 259.
[11] https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010020253
[12] https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG55497
[13] https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA63783
[14] Donker van Heel, K. (2016). Mrs. Naunakhte & Family: The Women of Ramesside Deir el-Medina.
