Economic Activities In Deir El-Medina Of Ancient Egypt

Deir el-Medina is a relatively complete and well-preserved ancient Egyptian village and settlement of the craftsmen who built tombs for the royal family members. Therefore, it is an important site for the study of ancient Egyptian social life and economic activities. This thesis is based on the documentary literature and archaeological material preserved providing a systematic study and discussion of the economic activities in Deir el-Medina.According to the extant materials, we know that the goods and materials which the government provided, were the basic material guaranteed to the inhabitants of the Deir el-Medina. However, this basic supply could not satisfy the needs of everyone. Therefore, there existed frequent economic activities within the village and between the village and outside. Although there was no currency at that time, people exchanged one commodity for another, or used a certain sum of grain or metal as a general equivalent of all the commodities to buy and sell, rent or loan. Additionally, the economic activities also included the transfer and inheritance of property. The frequent economic activities, at the same time, provoked various economic disputes. The mediation procedure of managers or judges from the court were the actions which the people asked for at that moment, as attested in our documents.Based on these data, this thesis will analyze six aspects:(1) the basic facts about Deir el-Medina, (2) forms of barter and active middleman in Deir el-Medina, (3) barter and trade in Deir el-Medina, (4) hire/rent, debit and credit in Deir el-Medina, (5) transfer and inheritance of property as well as the economic activities of women in Deir el-Medina, and (6) economic disputes and resolution procedures in Deir el-Medina. From these aspects we can deduce that although the economic activities of Deir el-Medina can’t represent whole ancient Egypt, the analysis of it can help us rebuild the economic life of ancient Egypt. To some extent, we can even analyze the economic characteristics and way of economic operations of whole ancient Egypt.