One of the most important goals for the pharaohs of ancient
Egypt were the building of their own tombs. Normally the
location of the future tomb was decided upon during the first
year of  the
pharaoh's rule. At this point, architectural designs were set
out, as well as the decorations that would very often adorn
the walls and ceiling.
Left: Wooden Hammer and metal chisel used
to dig the tomb into the mountain.
For those pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings, work
on their tombs would be entrusted to an architect and the
craftsmen who lived in the village of Deir
el-Medina.
Each day the workmen would commute to the tomb that was being
built over the mountains crest on a trail that can still
easily be crossed today.
The architect would supervise the work of the craftsmen,
who were usually divided into two groups, the right and the
left. While these groups did not have a set number of
workmen, they usually consisted of between 30 and 60 people
but at times might increase to as many as 120 workmen.
Workmen were usually specialized, and included
stone-cutters, plasterers, sculptors, draftsmen and artists
who decorated the surfaces. The work progressed almost like an
 assembly
line. First came the quarrymen who would dig the tomb
into the mountain. Behind them were the plasterers who
would smooth the walls. They used muna, a type of
plaster made from clay, quartz, limestone and crushed straw to
smooth the walls. Over that they laid thin layers of
clay and limestone whitened with a layer of diluted gypsum.
Right: Crude brush probably used to add
then layers of plaster to the tomb walls.
Draftsman would then execute the designs previously decided
upon by the high priests and approved by the pharaoh. They
used red ochire to divide out the wall and ceiling surfaces
into squares in order to correctly place the figures and text
of the decorations. A chief draftsman would inspect the work
and make corrections using black charcoal. Finally the
sculptors would step in and start carving the bas-relief,
which would finally be colored by painters using six basic
colors. The colors were symbolic and had ritual meanings.
Plumb and Bob used for alignment
Other workman were also employed. The sons of craftsmen
were often employed to do menial tasks, and common laborers
were provided to the craftsmen and performed tasks such  as
carrying water, preparing the plaster and keeping torches
burning. Incidentally, the torches were made of baked clay
containers filled with oil of sesame or animal fat and
salt. The salt was used to help limit the amount of
smoke in order to not harm the paintings.
Left: String used to give a straight line
for boxes where decorations will be drawn.
In this manner, even as the digging went on in the deepest
sections of the tomb, near the entrance the work might
practically be finished, and even though only rudimentary
tools were available, an average tomb might be completed
within a few months. Larger, more complex tombs could,
however, take anywhere from six to ten years for completion.
These two teams would work in their respective parts of the
tomb under the direct control of two foremen. The foremen were
normally appointed by either the pharaoh or his vizier.
Their responsibilities included the work itself, as well as
keeping track of the workmen and dealing with the pharaoh's
vizier and with the vizier's scribe.
The scribes were responsible for providing the workmen food
from the pharaoh's warehouses (which constituted the workmen's
wages), settling quarrels among the workers, and the
administration of justice in the village of Deir el-Medina.
Pigments for painting walls
Working days were variable, but it usually started at down
and lasted eight hours, with a break for lunch halfway through
the workday. The working week usually lasted ten days
with tow days for rest. However, many other breaks were
added for religious festivals and personal leave.
Additional References on the Valley of the Kings:
Archives
|
