The records of the workmen's village at Deir el-Medina have given us some valuable insight into the everyday life of the nercropolis workers. These records shed light on the system and nature of workmen's lives. The records of the “attendance lists” have been seldom paid attention to in any systematic fashion. The aim of this paper is to show the nature of and give understanding to the “attendance lists” of the necropolis workmen.
It is generally believed that the workmen were engaged in their activities on “weekdays” and they were absent at the “weekend.” The management maintained records of each worker's attendance and non-atttendance, accounting reasons for their absences. Besides this break, they had time off for several other reasons. Some reasons for their absences are easily understood and some are difficult to interpret. The workers lived by regular supplies of grain. It is often said that they were supplied on a particular day and with specific amounts. Contrary to what I have pointed out in my previous articles, they in fact were issued on various days and the amounts were also different.
Here “absentee lists” are gathered together and analysed with regard to the point of style and contents. From these analyses it is possible to draw the following conclusions:
1. These records are of two types, one of which includes records for both attendance and non-attendance, and the other for only non-attendance.
2. Most of these documents were found in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, i. e. in the working field.
3. Some records contain informations about the supply of lamps.
4. The management also maintained records for every workmen on the number of days they worked and the days for which they were absent.
5. The most frequently attested reasons for their absences were “illness, ” though sometimes just “absence” was recorded. The reason for “absence” did not necessarily mean time off from work or free days. It just could be that they were engaged in some other kind of work.
6. The issue of their “supply” meant the payment of a kind of wages, rathet than the issue of rations.
