First Labor Strike Ancient Egypt Witnessed

By Ali Abu Dashish

No one can deny that the vital role ancient Egyptian artist played. On the other side, the importance of the ancient Egyptian worker is undeniable, especially in the agricultural field.

Working in agriculture, which was a vital pillar to the ancient Egyptian civilization, required exerting great effort. Afterward, in order to adapt to the surrounding environment, workers started to practice other professions.Without the Egyptian workers, the Great Pyramids, the numerous temples, and tombs would not have been established.

Without them, we would not have been introduced to the wooden, metal, gold and pottery industries.

Thanks to their art, these industries continued until today. Thanks to their efficient work, we knew about the Pharaohs. Archeologist Zahi Hawass discovered the tombs of the workers who built the Pyramids.

One of the most important industries in ancient Egypt was that of stones, a fact that could is clearly seen through the statues, and stone pots.

Also, workers of those times succeeded in the metal industry including gold and silver (a vivid example is Tutankhamun mask), chemical industry and the pharmaceutical field, and the wooden one (including home and funeral furniture).

Workers experienced hard circumstances. Sometimes they demanded their financial rights. Worth mentioning in this regard that the first strike recorded in history occurred during the era of Ramses III.

Moving to the Temple of Habu, the first labor protest is recorded on its walls. Thousand years ago, the workers gathered at the funeral temple to protest against the King’s economic policy. A huge amount of money was spent on building temples, while workers at the city’s monastery did not get paid for two months. The issue was resolved when Ramses III complied with their demands.

Contributed by Maydaa Abo El-Nadar