CONTROLLING LABOUR IN ANCIENT CONTROLLING LABOUR IN ANCIENT EGYPTEGYPT

MAHMOUD EZZAMELMAHMOUD EZZAMELCARDIFF BUSINESS SCHOOLCARDIFF BUSINESS SCHOOL

CARDIFF UNIVERSITYCARDIFF UNIVERSITYWALES, UKWALES, UK

OUTLINEOUTLINE

• THEORETICAL BACKGROUND• ORGANISING THE WORKMEN• ATTENDANCE LISTS• ABSENTEES LISTS• TEAM MARKS AND CONTROL MARKS• EQUIVALENT MAN-DAYS• WAGES/RATIONS DIFFERENTIALS• ORGANISING PRODUCTION PROCESS

• THE WORKMEN STRIKES

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

• ORDER: IBN-KHALDUN; HOBBS; VICO; PARSONS, ALEXANDER; DUGLASS; ETC.

• ACCOUNTING AS AN ORDERING TECHNOLOGY ACCOUNTING AS PART OF AN ASSEMBELAGE OF ORDERING TECHNOLOGIES

• NO GRAND THEORY BUT ‘SENSETIVE’ THEORIZING FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE INSCRIPTIONS

• INSCRIPTIONS VS PRACTCE: AUTHORING; AUTHORITY; MOLESTATION (SAID)

• ORDER IN ANCIENT EGYPT: THE COSMOS; THE NETHERWORLD; EARTH

ORDER & RECIPROCITY ORDER & RECIPROCITY

• MAAT: ORDER; JUSTICE; TRUTH; PRESTINE CONDITION OF ALL THINGS

• MATT: MORAL CALCULUS FOR PHARAOH AND SUBJECTS

• RECIPROCITY- (SAHLINS): 1. GENERALIZED: GIFT; HELP; GENEROSITY; WEAK

OBLIGATION TO RECIPROCATE (SOCIAL DIMENSION)

2. BALANCED (PURE): EXCHANGE OF EQUIVALENT WORTH

3. NEGATIVE: HAVING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING (MATERIAL DIMENSION)

ORGANISING THE WORKMENORGANISING THE WORKMEN

• A CREW = TWO GANGS = 400 WORKMEN• ONE GANG = FIVE PHYLES• ONE PHYLE = FOUR DIVISIONS• ONE DIVISION = TEN WORKMEN

• RIGHT-HAND PHYLE & LEFT-HAND PHYLE

Attendance List – Papyrus Reisner I*Attendance List – Papyrus Reisner I*

The foreman Inyotef’s son Dedu <a> <b> <c> Oker’s son Sobk-hotpe 11 11 His brother Inyotef 11 8 3 175. Ketiu’s son Nedjes 75 42 33 10 h Se’n-Worset’s son Sehetep-ib 75 46 29 Inyotef’s son Nesu-Mentu 75 65 10 10 h Ameny’s son Nefer-Kha u 75 75 10 h his brother Sefkhy 75 75 180. Sobk-hotpe’s son Nakhti’s son Inyotef 11 9 2 Sobek-nakhte’s son Mereri 75 60 15 Hedejenenu’s son Mer-su 11 11 Sobk-hotpe’s son Anhur- ankhu 11 11 H Nefer-tjentet’s son Se n-Wosret 75 55 20 185 <total> <12> 580 457 123 _____ _____ _____Legend: a = [sum of figures in columns b and c] b = [days on the project] c = [days of absence]

* Source: Simpson (1963, pp. 123-124).

Absenteeism List of Workers, Absenteeism List of Workers, Year 40, Reign of Ramasses II Year 40, Reign of Ramasses II

(O.BM 5634)(O.BM 5634)Reason for absence Number

With boss, colleague, or scribe 71

Ill 71

Family member ill 11

Preparing family member for burial 17

Offerings to the gods 10

Fetching stone 7

Brewing beer 17

Making up remedies 10

Others (workman’s feast; scorpion bit him; strengthening door; building his house; absent; drinking)

12

TEAM MARKS AND CONTROL NOTES

• TEAM MARKS AND CONTROL NOTES WERE INSCRIBED ONTO STONE FROM THE OLD KINGDOM (3000 BCE) ONWARDS

• THESE MARKS SPECIFIED PARTICULAR TASKS PERFORMED

• CONTROL NOTES SPECIFIED OBJECTS BROUGH TO A WORK PLACE BY AN INDIVIDUAL AT A GIVEN TIME (SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL EMBEDDEDNESS)

EQUIVALENT MAN-DAYSEQUIVALENT MAN-DAYS

ENTRY TASK/ EQUIVALENT VOLUME: V EQUIVALENCE

GOOD MAN-DAYS: V/E METRIC: E

2 earth rubble 443 ½ 4,435 1:10 3 builders 85 381 ½ 2:9 4 hauling stone 715 143; 2 palms 5:1 5 carrying (items) 36 ½ 183 1:5 6 carrying sand 101 ½ 152 ½ ¼ 2:3 10 brick 602 39,118 1:65 13 loosening fields (earth) 55 ½ 556 ¼ 1:10

Account of Man-Days*Account of Man-Days*

MD MDxV ACT VAR 1 Mer-kau 210 2100 1826 ½ 273 ½ 300 2 S’ankhi 400 4000 3745 ½ 254 ½ 300 3 Sobk-nakhte II 214 2140 1468 672 300 4 Redi-es-‘ankh 280 2800 2477 ½ 322 ½ 300 5 Sobk-nakhte I 177 1770 1688 82 300 6 Iuh 360 3600 3668 (sic) 232 300 7 Total 1587 164[10] 14873 ½ 18[35]1/2 * Source: Simpson (1969, p. 29)

WAGES/RATIONS DIFFERENTIALSWAGES/RATIONS DIFFERENTIALS

DAILY MULTI- DAILY MULTI- BEER PLIER BEER PLIEROCCUPATION LOAVES UNITS

1. Unskilled Workers: 10 loaves 1 1/3 unit 12. Seal Bearers, Guardsmen and Hunters: 15 loaves 1.5 47/60 unit 2.353. Craftsmen: 20 loaves 2 ½ unit 1.54. Royal Retainers, Scribes and the Chamberlain: 30 loaves 3 one unit 35. Stewards of the Great Board & Treasury: 50 loaves 5 2 units 66. The Greatest of the Ten of Upper Egypt, Mayors, and The Commander Sankh-ptah: 100 loaves 10 3 units 97. The Herald Ameni: 200 loaves 20 5 units 15

PART ONE OF THE ACCOUNTPART ONE OF THE ACCOUNT

• EACH SACK OF EMMER WEIGHED 720 DEBEN• COOKING LOSS (PSU) 10%• 3 ½ SACKS OF EMMER @ 720 DEBEN = 2520 DEBEN TO

ACCOUNT FOR• 168 LARGE LOAFS DELIVERED, EACH WEIGHING 13 ½ DEBEN

(AFTER ALLOWING FOR COOKING LOSS OF 10%, 1 ½ DEBEN) = 2268 DEBEN + COOKING LOSS (1 ½ X 168) 252 = 2520 DEBEN

• WHICH EQUALS TOTAL TO ACCOUNT FOR

PARTS TWO- FOUR OF THE ACCOUNTPARTS TWO- FOUR OF THE ACCOUNT

• PART 2:EXPECTED OUTPUT: 156 LOAVES @ 13 ½ DEBEN

EACH = 2106 DEBEN; DELIVERED OUTPUT: 156 LOAVES @ 13 DEBEN EACH = 2028 DEBEN; DIFFERENCE = 78 DEBEN NON-PERMITTED LOSS

PART 3: ACTUAL AND EXPECTED DELIVERIES ARE THE SAMEPART 4:GRAND TOTAL OF OUTPUT FOR THE THREE BAKERS

= NUMBERS OF LOAVES DELIVERED + NON-PERMITTED LOSS

DEIR EL-MEDINA INSCRIPTIONSDEIR EL-MEDINA INSCRIPTIONS

‘By transforming the villagers’ spoken words into formal written documents the scribes imbued their simple declarations with a gravity beyond speech, a metamorphosis that must have received tangible corroboration from the very bulk of the stone flakes and the sherds of pottery – both called ostraca – on which much of the village business was recorded.’ (Romer, 2003: 26).

DISORDER CREEPS IN?

THE STRIKES• DELAYS IN PAYMENT OF RATIONS FOR MONTHS• THREE STRIKES IN ALL THAT LASTED FOR SEVEN

MONTHS• STRIKES INITIALLY SUPPORTED BY THE CHIEF

SCRIBE AND CHIEF SUPERVISOR. LATER SCRIBE AND SUPERVISOR WITHDRAW THEIR SUPPORT

• INITIALLY WORKMEN COMPLAIN OF HUNGER: “WE ARE HUNGRY: EIGHTEEN DAYS HAVE ELAPSED IN THE MONTH (PRESUMABLY WITHOUT RATIONS).

DISORDER CREEPS IN?

• LATER THE WORKMEN STATE ‘WE HAVE AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT TO MAKE. VERILY, EVIL IS DONE IN THIS PLACE OF PHARAOH’

• THE WORKMEN VISITED BY THE MAYOR OF THEBES AND THE VIZIER, BUT THEY REFUSED TO GET BACK TO WORK

• SCRIBES, ACCOUNTING AND MONEY ESSENTIAL PARTS OF THE EXCHANGES BETWEEN THE WORKMEN AND THE ADMINISTRATORS

DISORDER CREEPS IN?

AFTERMATH OF THE STRIKESRETURN TO ORDER ENTAILS VIOLENCE:• THE WORKMEN RETURN BACK TO WORK• NEW SPOKESPERSONS EMERGE IN PLACE

OF CHIEF SUPERVISOR AND SCRIBE OF THE NECROPOLIS

• HIGH PRIESTS OF AMUN TAKE CHARGE OF DELIVERING RATIONS, AND ACTING AS CONDUITS BETWEEN WORKMEN AND VIZIER/PRIME MINISTER (TAKE OVER CONTROL OF WORKMEN)

SUMMARY

• ACCOUNTING AS A PERFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY OF ORDERING

• DISORDER & ACCOUNTING• ORDER, VIOLENCE & ACCOUNTING• MAAT AS A ‘SOCIAL CONTRACT’• ORDER, ACCOUNTING AND THE

PERPETUATION OF KINGSHIP