Deir al-Medina

View Description

small (250x250 max)

medium (500x500 max)

large ( > 500x500)

Full Resolution

This item is restricted to only allow viewing of the metadata.

Description

Rating
Title	Deir al-Medina
Alternate Title	Deir el-Medina, Convent of the Town
View	General view of the village remains, looking north, with girdle wall of Ptolemaic temple in background
Notes	dwelling
Work Type	village town settlement worker's settlement
Style/Period	Egyptian (ancient) New Kingdom (Eighteenth Dynasty through the Twentieth Dynasty)
Major Design Aspects	high density
Climate Type	hot & dry
Country	Egypt
City	Thebes
Alternate Place Names	West Bank, Luxor
Architectural Material	stone
Art Medium	stone
Structural System	bearing masonry
Photographer	Scott Gilchrist, Archivision Inc.
Date Photographed	8/20/2003
Subject Information	Deir el-Medina is the site of a very special workman's village, whose craftsmen built and decorated the tombs of the Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. They were members of a highly skilled community who passed down the knowledge of their trade from father to son through many generations, beginning at least as far back as the reign of Tuthmose I. The village was laid out in a square grid within mud-brick walls. We have a great deal of evidence of the lives of the workmen living here during the reigns of Ramesses II and His successors. These include stelae and tomb inscriptions, papyri, and ostraca, all of which serve to give us a picture of the lives of the people who lived and worked in this village. Underground tombs cut into the cliff face lie behind the houses of the villagers at Deir el-Medina. Steep-sided pyramids mark the entrances, with the deceased being buried below the ground-level chapel inside. The small temple was constructed during the reign of Ptolemy IV Philopator, Ptolemy Philometor, and Ptolemy Neos dionysos, from approximately 220-145 B.C.E. The name Deir el-Medina means 'the Convent of the Town' in Arabic, and was given because of the temple's final use by Coptic monks. The Temple of Het-Hert was dedicated to several deities of the necropolis, including Het-Hert and Ma'at, but also to Imhotep (the architect of Djoser) and Amenhotep son of Hapu, both of whom were deified in their lifetimes.' Source: http://www.hethert.org/DeirelMedina.htm *** One of the most popular tombs on the hillside is that of Sennedjem - who lived in the 19th Dynasty during the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II. A pyramid above it would have formed part of the tomb's superstructure which included a courtyard and offering chapel. The burial chamber is at the bottom of a shaft. Another tomb often included in a visit to Deir el-Medina is that of Inherkhau who served as a Foreman on the royal tomb construction teams during the 20th Dynasty.
Credit Line	Archivision Inc. (all images copyright Scott Gilchrist / archivision.com)
Collection Title	Archivision (architecture, urban design, gardens, landscapes and public art)
Collection information	Collection administered by the Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library, (402) 472-1193

Find results with:

Searching collections:

Home Deir al-Medina

Deir al-Medina

Description

Tags

Comments