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87-458: A lovers' lane is a secluded area where people kiss , make out or engage in sexual activity . These areas range from parking lots in secluded rural areas to places with extraordinary views of a cityscape or other features. The Oxford English Dictionary records use of the phrase "lovers' lane" from 1853. While some traditional paths still maintain the name, in more recent generations "lovers' lanes" are often found in cultures built around

174-588: A basium , which was used between relatives. A kiss of passion was called a suavium . Kissing was not always an indication of eros , or love, but also could show respect and rank as it was used in Medieval Europe . The study of kissing started sometime in the nineteenth century and is called philematology , which has been studied by people including Cesare Lombroso , Ernest Crawley , Charles Darwin , Edward Burnett Tylor and modern scholars such as Elaine Hatfield . Kristoffer Nyrop identified

261-401: A "scorpion charmer" who specialized in magical cures for scorpion bites. Health texts from Deir el-Medina also differed in their circulation. Magical spells and remedies were widely distributed among the workmen; there are even several cases of spells being sent from one worker to another, with no "trained" intermediary. Written medical texts appear to have been much rarer, however, with only

348-523: A bee's sting. I have often kissed my kids, I have often kissed my lambs, but never have I known aught like this. My pulse is beating fast, my heart throbs, it is as if I were about to suffocate, yet, nevertheless, I want to have another kiss. Strange, never-suspected pain! Has Chloe, I wonder, drunk some poisonous draught ere she kissed me? How comes it that she herself has not died of it? Romantic kissing "requires more than simple proximity," notes Cane. It also needs "some degree of intimacy or privacy, ... which

435-484: A cause of kissing "in all ages in grave and solemn moments," notes Nyrop, "not only among those who love each other, but also as an expression of profound gratitude. When the Apostle Paul took leave of the elders of the congregation at Ephesus , "they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him" (Acts 20:37)." Kisses can also be exchanged between total strangers, as when there is a profound sympathy with or

522-478: A certain excited trembling in the muscles of the lower jaw upon seeing their beloved. Women will often turn pale immediately of seeing their lover and then get slightly red in the face as their sweetheart draws near. This is the effect of physical closeness upon two people who are in love. Romantic kissing in Western cultures is a fairly recent development and is rarely mentioned even in ancient Greek literature. In

609-661: A community can be studied in such detail. The site is located on the west bank of the Nile , across the river from modern-day Luxor . The village is laid out in a small natural amphitheatre, within easy walking distance of the Valley of the Kings to the north, funerary temples to the east and south-east, with the Valley of the Queens to the west. The village may have been built apart from

696-430: A crowded plaza and keep it romantic." Nonetheless, when Cane asked people to describe the most romantic places they ever kissed, "their answers almost always referred to this ends-of-the-earth isolation, ... they mentioned an apple orchard, a beach, out in a field looking at the stars, or at a pond in a secluded area ..." A French kiss , also known as cataglottism or a tongue kiss , is an amorous kiss in which

783-482: A deeply compelling view into the medical workings of the New Kingdom. As in other Egyptian communities, the workmen and inhabitants of Deir el-Medina received care for their health problems through medical treatment , prayer , and magic . Nevertheless, the records at Deir el-Medina indicate some level of division, as records from the village note both a " physician " who saw patients and prescribed treatments, and

870-434: A foreman, deputies, craftsmen and a court scribe, and were authorised to deal with all civil and some criminal cases, typically relating to the non-payment of goods or services. The villagers represented themselves and cases could go on for several years, with one dispute involving the chief of police lasting eleven years. The local police, Medjay , were responsible for preserving law and order, as well as controlling access to

957-406: A god for forgiveness and mercy. In one instance Meretseger is petitioned to bring relief to one in pain. She answer the prayer by bringing "sweet breezes". On another stele, a workman writes, "I was a man who swore falsely by Ptah, Lord of Truth, and he caused me to see darkness by day. Now I will declaim his might to both the ignorant and the knowledgeable." Amun was considered a special patron of

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1044-673: A handful of ostraca containing prescriptions , indicating that the trained physician mixed the more complicated remedies himself. There are also several documents that show the writer sending for medical ingredients, but it is unknown whether these were sent according to a physician's prescription, or to fulfill a home remedy . The excavations of the royal artisans community at Deir el-Medina have revealed much evidence of personal religious practice and cults. State gods were worshipped freely alongside personal gods without any conflict between national and local modes of religious expression. The community had between sixteen and eighteen chapels, with

1131-460: A knowledge of life and happiness first comes to us. Runeberg says that the angels rejoice over the first kiss exchanged by lovers," and can keep one feeling young: "It carries life with it; it even bestows the gift of eternal youth." The importance of the lover's kiss can also be significant, he notes: "In the case of lovers a kiss is everything; that is the reason why a man stakes his all for a kiss," and "man craves for it as his noblest reward." As

1218-401: A man unless a maid fell in love with him and kissed him, despite his ugliness. A kiss of affection can also take place after death. In Genesis 50:1 , it is written that when Jacob was dead, "Joseph fell upon his father's face and wept upon him and kissed him." And it is told of Abu Bakr , Muhammad 's first disciple, father-in-law, and successor, that, when the prophet was dead, he went into

1305-536: A number of types of kisses, including kisses of love, affection, peace, respect, and friendship. He notes, however, that the categories are somewhat contrived and overlapping, and some cultures have more kinds, including the French with twenty and the Germans with thirty. Kissing another person's lips has become a common expression of affection or warm greeting in many cultures worldwide. Yet in certain cultures, kissing

1392-453: A result, kissing as an expression of love is contained in much of literature, old and new. Nyrop gives a vivid example in the classic love story of Daphnis and Chloe . As a reward "Chloe has bestowed a kiss on Daphnis—an innocent young-maid's kiss, but it has on him the effect of an electrical shock": Ye gods, what are my feelings. Her lips are softer than the rose's leaf, her mouth is sweet as honey, and her kiss inflicts on me more pain than

1479-467: A ritual gesture, and is still treated as such in certain customs, as when "kissing... relics, or a bishop's ring." In Judaism , the kissing of the Torah scroll , a prayer book , and a prayer shawl is also common. Crawley notes that it was "very significant of the affectionate element in religion" to give so important a part to the kiss as part of its ritual. In the early Church the baptized were kissed by

1566-453: A stylish celebration. The working week was eight days followed by two days holiday, though the six days off a month could be supplemented frequently due to illness, family reasons and, as recorded by the scribe of the tomb, arguing with one's wife or having a hangover. Including the days given over to festivals, over one-third of the year was time-off for the villagers during the reign of Merneptah (c. 1213–1203 BCE). During their days off

1653-511: A tomb through its back so that they wouldn't break the seal and be exposed. A tomb robbery culture developed that included fences and even some officials who accepted bribes. When the Viziers checked the tombs in order to determine whether the seals had been disturbed, they wouldn't report the tomb as having been opened. When they finally did catch tomb robbers, they used limb-twisting tactics to interrogate them and obtain information about where

1740-543: A whole day in anger, His wrath passes in a moment, none remains. His breath comes back to us in mercy... May your ka be kind, may you forgive, It shall not happen again. Dream interpretation was very common. A book of dreams was found in Scribe Kenhirkhopeshef's library that was old even in his time. This book was used to interpret various types of dreams. These interpretations lacked precision and similar dreams often had different meanings. In many cases

1827-405: Is a learned behaviour, having evolved from activities such as suckling or premastication in early human cultures passed on to modern humans. Another theory posits that the practice originated in males during the paleolithic era tasting the saliva of females to test their health in order to determine whether they would make a good partner for procreation. The fact that not all human cultures kiss

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1914-598: Is in thy breath; And at that kiss, though in the tomb I lie, I will arise and break the bands of Death. The earliest reference to kissing in the Old Testament is in Genesis 27:26 , when Jacob deceives his father to obtain his blessing: And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. Genesis 29:11 features the first man-woman kiss in the Bible , when Jacob flees from Esau and goes to

2001-452: Is recorded as wanting a divorce on account of his mother in-law's behaviour. Female slaves could become surrogate mothers in cases where the wife was infertile and in doing so raise their status and procure their freedom. The community could move freely in and out of the walled village but for security reasons the only outsiders allowed to enter the site were those with good work-related reasons. The records from this village provide most of

2088-409: Is the most common form of affection and Western mouth to mouth kissing is often reserved for sexual foreplay. In some tribal cultures the "equivalent to 'kiss me' is 'smell me.'" The kiss can be an important expression of love and erotic emotions. In his book The Kiss and its History , Kristoffer Nyrop describes the kiss of love as an "exultant message of the longing of love, love eternally young,

2175-492: Is the sign that our souls are united, and that we banish all remembrance of injury." Deir el-Medina Deir el-Medina ( Egyptian Arabic : دير المدينة ), or Dayr al-Madīnah , is an ancient Egyptian workmen's village which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th Dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt (ca. 1550–1080 BCE). The settlement's ancient name

2262-472: Is used as an argument against kissing being an instinctual behaviour in humans; only around 90% of the human population is believed to practice kissing. The earliest reference to kissing-like behavior comes from the Vedas , Sanskrit scriptures that informed Hinduism , Buddhism , and Jainism , around 3,500 years ago, according to Vaughn Bryant, an anthropologist at Texas A&M University who specialized in

2349-476: Is why you'll see lovers stepping to the side of a busy street or sidewalk." Psychologist Wilhelm Reich "lashed out at society" for not giving young lovers enough privacy and making it difficult to be alone. However, Cane describes how many lovers manage to attain romantic privacy despite being in a public setting, as they "lock their minds together" and thereby create an invisible sense of "psychological privacy." He adds, "In this way they can kiss in public even in

2436-596: Is written of in the Bible, as when Esau met Jacob after a long separation, he ran towards him, fell on his neck, and kissed him ( Genesis 33:4 ), Moses greeted his father-in-law and kissed him ( Exodus 18:7 ), and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law before leaving her ( Ruth 1:14 ). The family kiss was traditional with the Romans and kisses of affection are often mentioned by the early Greeks , as when Odysseus , on reaching his home, meets his faithful shepherds. Affection can be

2523-895: The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) during the Bronze Age implies that cultural practices like romantic-sexual kissing could have contributed to its transmission. Ancient Mesopotamian medical texts mention a disease called bu'shanu, which may have been related to HSV-1 infection. While kissing itself was not directly associated with disease transmission in Mesopotamia, certain cultural and religious factors governed its practice. Both lip and tongue kissing are mentioned in Sumerian poetry: My lips are too small, they know not to kiss. My precious sweet, lying by my heart, one by one "tonguemaking," one by one. When my sweet precious, my heart, had lain down too, each of them in turn kissing with

2610-640: The kiss of peace was recommended by the Catholic Church. The kiss on the lips was also common among knights. The gesture has again become popular with young people, particularly in England. In many cultures, it is considered a harmless custom for teenagers to kiss on a date or to engage in kissing games with friends. These games serve as icebreakers at parties and may be some participants' first exposure to sexuality. There are many such games, including truth or dare , seven minutes in heaven (or

2697-484: The Great ( c.  600 BC ) as a boy from his Median kinsmen. According to Herodotus (5th century BC), when two Persians meet, the greeting formula expresses their equal or inequal status. They do not speak; rather, equals kiss each other on the mouth, and in the case where one is a little inferior to the other, the kiss is given on the cheek. During the later Classical period, affectionate mouth-to-mouth kissing

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2784-468: The Middle Ages it became a social gesture and was considered a sign of refinement of the upper classes. Other cultures have different definitions and uses of kissing, notes Brayer. In China , for example, a similar expression of affection consists of rubbing one's nose against the cheek of another person. In other Eastern cultures kissing is not common. In South East Asian countries the "sniff kiss"

2871-526: The Old French Arthurian romances (Lancelot, Guiglain) in which the princess is changed by evil arts into a dreadful dragon, and can only resume her human shape in the case of a knight being brave enough to kiss her." In the reverse situation, in the tale of " Beauty and the Beast ", a transformed prince then told the girl that he had been bewitched by a wicked fairy, and could not be recreated into

2958-435: The accused would deny guilt and demand to see another oracle or, in at least one case when that failed, he asked to see a third. When guilt was determined, a judgement would be passed and the accused would have to make reparations and receive punishment. The Egyptians also believed the oracle could bring disease or blindness to people as punishment or miracle cures as rewards. The records and ostraca from Deir el-Medina provide

3045-427: The artisans are recorded forty and fifty years after the initial dispute, during the reigns of Ramesses IX and Ramesses X . After the reign of Ramses IV (c. 1155–1149 BCE) the conditions of the village became increasingly unsettled. At times there was no work for fear of the enemy. The grain supplies became less dependable and this was followed by more strikes. Gangs of tomb robbers increased, often tunnelling into

3132-627: The automobile —lovers often make out in a car or van for privacy. Due to the typically isolated location of most lovers' lanes, they have occasionally been the setting for violent crime. For example: Kiss The word comes from Old English cyssan ('to kiss'), in turn from coss ('a kiss'). Anthropologists disagree on whether kissing is an instinctual or learned behaviour. Those who believe kissing to be an instinctual behaviour cite similar behaviours in other animals such as bonobos , which are known to kiss after fighting - possibly to restore peace. Others believe that it

3219-513: The background to workers unrest. In about the 25th year of the reign of Ramesses III (c. 1170 BCE) the tomb laborers were so exasperated by delays in supplies that they threw down their tools and walked off the job in what may have been the first sit-down strike action in recorded history. They wrote a letter to the vizier complaining about lack of wheat rations. Village leaders attempted to reason with them but they refused to return to work until their grievances were addressed. They responded to

3306-503: The beginning of the 20th century, in America and Great Britain, as the French had acquired a reputation for more adventurous and passionate sex practices. French kissing may be a mode for disease transmission, particularly if there are open wounds. Throughout history, a kiss has been a ritual, formal, symbolic or social gesture indicating devotion, respect or greeting. It appears as a ritual or symbol of religious devotion. For example, in

3393-439: The burning prayer of hot desire, which is born on the lovers' lips, and 'rises,' as Charles Fuster has said, 'up to the blue sky from the green plains,' like a tender, trembling thank-offering." Nyrop adds that the love kiss, "rich in promise, bestows an intoxicating feeling of infinite happiness, courage, and youth, and therefore surpasses all other earthly joys in sublimity." He also compares it to achievements in life: "Thus even

3480-460: The case of kissing a temple floor, or a religious book or icon. Besides devotion, a kiss has also indicated subordination or, nowadays, respect. In modern times the practice continues, as in the case of a bride and groom kissing at the conclusion of a wedding ceremony or national leaders kissing each other in greeting, and in many other situations. A kiss in a religious context is common. In earlier periods of Christianity or Islam , kissing became

3567-460: The celebrant after the ceremony, and its use was even extended as a salute to saints and religious heroes, with Crawley adding, "Thus Joseph kissed Jacob, and his disciples kissed Paul. Joseph kissed his dead father, and the custom was retained in our civilization", as the farewell kiss on dead relatives, although certain sects prohibit this today. A distinctive element in the Christian liturgy

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3654-406: The community contained around sixty-eight houses spread over a total area of 5,600 m with a narrow road running the length of the village. The main road through the village may have been covered to shelter the villagers from the intense glare and heat of the sun. The size of the habitations varied, with an average floor space of 70 m , but the same construction methods were used throughout

3741-442: The elders with "great oaths". "We are hungry", the crews claimed; "eighteen days have passed this month" and they still had not received their rations. They were forced to buy their own wheat. They told the leaders to send to the pharaoh or vizier to address their concerns. After the authorities had heard their complaints they addressed them and the workers went back to work the next day. Several strikes followed. After one of them, when

3828-435: The entire site, including village, dump and cemetery, between 1922 and 1951. Unfortunately through lack of control it is now thought that about half of the papyri recovered were removed without the knowledge or authorization of the team director. Around five thousand ostraca of assorted works of commerce and literature were found in a well close to the village. Jaroslav Černý , who was part of Bruyère's team, went on to study

3915-621: The great god of the dead. The villagers held Amenhotep I (c. 1526–1506 BCE) and his mother, Queen Ahmose-Nefertari , in high regard over many generations, possibly as divinized patrons of the community. When Amenhotep died he became the centre of a village funerary cult, as "Amenhotep of the Town". When the Queen died, she also was deified and became "Mistress of the Sky" and "Lady of the West". Every year

4002-404: The highest work of art, yet, the loftiest reputation, is nothing in comparison with the passionate kiss of a woman one loves." The power of a kiss is not minimized when he writes that "we all yearn for kisses and we all seek them; it is idle to struggle against this passion. No one can evade the omnipotence of the kiss ..." Kissing, he implies, can lead one to maturity: "It is through kisses that

4089-465: The history of the kiss. However, recent studies challenge the belief that kissing originated in South Asia around 1500 BCE, arguing that there is no single point of origin in historical times. Figurines have been found that indicate kissing may have been practiced in prehistory. It’s been suggested that Neandertals and humans kissed. Evidence from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt suggests that kissing

4176-455: The house of his uncle Laban : And Jacob kissed Rachel , and lifted up his voice, and wept. Much later, there is the oft-quoted verse from Song of Songs 1:2 : May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine. In Cyropaedia (370 BC), Xenophon wrote about the Persian custom of kissing in the lips upon departure while narrating the departure of Cyrus

4263-424: The image of the god when carried by priests upon a litter. A positive response could have been indicated by a downward dip and a negative response by a withdrawal of the litter. When a matter of justice came up that wasn't resolved by a tribunal, the god's statue could be carried to the accused and asked "Is it he who stole my goods?" and, if the statue nodded, the accused would be considered guilty. However, at times,

4350-428: The information we know about how women lived in the New Kingdom era. Women were supplied with servants by the government to assist with the grinding of the grain and laundry tasks. The wives of the workers cared for the children and baked the bread, a prime food source in this society. The vast majority of women who had a particular religious status embedded in their names were married to foremen or scribes and could hold

4437-476: The interpretation was the opposite of what the dream depicted, for example a happy dream often signified sadness, a dream of plenty often signified scarceness etc. Examples of how the dreams are interpreted include the following: Also in the temple to Hathor, a few of the craftsmen built stelae in honour of her. One such stela is the stele of Nefersenut, in which he and one of his son's kneeling and giving offerings to her in human form. The royal building service

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4524-435: The larger ones dedicated to Hathor , Ptah and Ramesses II . The workmen seem to have honoured Ptah and Resheph , the scribes Thoth and Seshat , as patron deities of their particular activity. Women had particular devotion towards Hathor, Taweret , and Bes in pregnancy, turning to Renenutet and Meretseger for food and safety. Meretseger ("She Who Loves Silence") was perhaps locally at least as important as Osiris ,

4611-405: The latter's tent, uncovered his face, and kissed his forehead . Nyrop writes that "the kiss is the last tender proof of love bestowed on one we have loved, and was believed, in ancient times, to follow mankind to the nether world." Kissing on the lips can be a physical expression of affection or love between two people in which the sensations of touch, taste, and smell are involved. According to

4698-469: The lips can be performed between two friends or family. This move aims to express affection for a friend. Unlike kissing for love , a friendly kiss has no sexual connotation. The kiss on the lips is a practice that can be found in the time of patriarchs (Bible) . In Ancient Greece , the kiss on the mouth was used to express a concept of equality between people of the same rank. In the Middle Ages ,

4785-435: The participants' tongues extend to touch each other's lips or tongue. A kiss with the tongue stimulates the partner's lips, tongue and mouth, which are sensitive to the touch and induce sexual arousal. The sensation when two tongues touch—also known as tongue touching —has been proven to stimulate endorphin release and reduce acute stress levels. Extended French kissing may be part of making out . The term originated at

4872-504: The plunder was and who their accomplices were. The Abbott Papyrus reports on one occasion, when some officials were looking for a scapegoat, they obtained a confession from a repeat offender after torturing him. However the Vizier was suspicious at how easily the suspect had been produced, so the Vizier asked the suspect to lead them to the tomb that he had robbed. He led them to an unfinished tomb that had never been used and claimed that it

4959-458: The poor and one who was merciful to the penitent. A stelae records: [Amun] who comes at the voice of the poor in distress, who gives breath to him who is wretched..You are Amun, the Lord of the silent, who comes at the voice of the poor, when I call to you in my distress You come and rescue me... Though the servant was disposed to do evil, the Lord is disposed to forgive. The Lord of Thebes spends not

5046-464: The posts being inheritable. The examples of love songs recovered show how friendship between the sexes was practised, as was social drinking by both men and women. Egyptian marriages amongst commoners were monogamous but little is known about the marriage or wedding arrangements from surviving records. It was not unusual for couples to have six or seven children, with some recorded as having ten. Separation, divorce and remarriage occurred. Merymaat

5133-464: The psychologist Menachem Brayer, although many "mammals, birds, and insects exchange caresses" which appear to be kisses of affection, they are not kisses in the human sense. Surveys indicate that kissing is the second most common form of physical intimacy among United States adolescents (after holding hands ), and that about 85% of 15 to 16-year-old adolescents in the US have experienced it. The kiss on

5220-428: The roof. The full glare of the sun was avoided by situating the windows high up on the walls. The main room contained a mudbrick platform with steps which may have been used as a shrine or a birthing bed. Nearly all houses contained niches for statues and small altars. The tombs built by the community for their own use include small rock-cut chapels and substructures adorned with small pyramids . Due to its location,

5307-403: The strike leader asked the workers to follow him they told him they had had enough and returned to work. This was not the last strike but they soon restored the regular wheat supplies and the strikes came to an end for the remaining years of Ramesses III. However, since the chiefs supported the authorities the workers no longer trusted them and chose their own representatives. Further complaints by

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5394-417: The titles of chantress or singer, with official positions within local shrines or temples, perhaps even within the major temples of Thebes. Under Egyptian law they had property rights. They had title to their own wealth and a third of all marital goods. This would belong solely to the wife in case of divorce or death of the husband. If she died first it would go to her heirs, not to her spouse. Brewing of beer

5481-478: The tombs in the Valley of the Kings. One of the most famous cases recorded relates to Paneb , the son of an overseer, who was accused of looting royal tombs, adultery and causing unrest in the community. The outcome is not known but surviving records indicate the execution of a head of workmen at this time. The people of Deir el-Medina often consulted with oracles about many aspects of their lives including justice. Questions could be put in writing or orally before

5568-669: The tongue, each in turn. Kissing is described in the surviving ancient Egyptian love poetry from the New Kingdom , found on papyri excavated at Deir el-Medina : Finally I will drink life from your lips and wake up from this ever lasting sleep. The wisdom of the earth in a kiss and everything else in your eyes. I kiss her before everyone that they all may see my love. And when her lips are pressed to mine I am made drunk and need not wine. When we kiss, and her warm lips half open, I fly cloud-high without beer! His kisses on my lips, my breast, my hair... ...Come! Come! Come! And kiss me when I die, For life, compelling life,

5655-458: The variation "two minutes in the closet"), spin the bottle , post office , and wink. The psychologist William Cane notes that kissing in Western society is often a romantic act and describes a few of its attributes: It's not hard to tell when two people are in love. Maybe they're trying to hide it from the world, still they cannot conceal their inner excitement. Men will give themselves away by

5742-465: The village and its work. As the main well was thirty minutes walk from the village, carriers worked to keep the village regularly supplied with water. When working on the tombs, the artisans stayed overnight in a camp overlooking the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (c. 1479–1458 BCE) that is still visible today. Surviving records indicate that the workers had cooked meals delivered to them from

5829-498: The village for almost fifty years until his death in 1970 and was able to name and describe the lives of many of the inhabitants. The peak overlooking the village was renamed "Mont Cernabru" in recognition of Černý and Bruyère's work on the village. The first datable remains of the village belong to the reign of Thutmose I (c. 1506–1493 BCE) with its final shape being formed during the Ramesside Period . At its peak,

5916-414: The village is not thought to have provided a pleasant environment. The walled village reflects the shape of the narrow valley in which it's situated, with the barren surrounding hillsides reflecting the desert sun and the hill of Gurnet Murai cutting off the north breeze, as well as any view of the verdant river valley. The village was abandoned c. 1110–1080 BCE during the reign of Ramesses XI (whose tomb

6003-406: The village. Based on analysis of income and prices, the workmen of the village would, in modern terms, be considered middle class . As salaried state employees they were paid in rations at up to three times the rate of a field hand, but unofficial second jobs were also widely practiced. At great festivals such as the heb sed the workmen were issued with extra supplies of food and drink to allow

6090-448: The village. Walls were made of mudbrick, built on top of stone foundations. Mud was applied to the walls, which were then painted white on the external surfaces, while some of the inner surfaces were whitewashed up to a height of around one metre. A wooden front door might have carried the occupants' name. Houses consisted of four to five rooms, comprising an entrance, main room, two smaller rooms, kitchen with cellar and staircase leading to

6177-670: The villagers celebrated the Festival of Amenhotep I, where the elders acted as priests in the ceremonies that paid honour to their own local gods who were not worshipped anywhere else in Egypt. Prayers were made and dedicated to a particular deity as votive offerings, similar in style to the Penitential Psalms in the Tanakh , which express remorse and thanksgiving for mercy. Steles record sorrow for human error and humbly invoke

6264-514: The villagers. The ancient economy is documented by records of sales transactions that yield information on prices and exchange. Records of prayers and charms illustrate ordinary popular conceptions of the divine, whilst researchers into ancient law and practice find a rich source of information recorded in the texts from the village. Many examples of the most famous works of ancient Egyptian literature have also been discovered. Thousands of papyri and ostraca still await publication. The settlement

6351-433: The warmest interest in another person. Folk poetry has been the source of affectionate kisses where they sometimes played an important part, as when they had the power to cast off spells or to break bonds of witchcraft and sorcery, often restoring a man to his original shape. Nyrop notes the poetical stories of the "redeeming power of the kiss are to be found in the literature of many countries, especially, for example, in

6438-511: The wider population in order to preserve secrecy in view of sensitive nature of the work carried out in the tombs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . A significant find of papyri was made in the 1840s in the vicinity of the village and many objects were also found during the course of the 19th century. The archaeological site was first seriously excavated by Ernesto Schiaparelli between 1905 and 1909 which uncovered large amounts of ostraca . A French team directed by Bernard Bruyère excavated

6525-491: The word, bringing a message of loyal affection, gratitude, compassion, sympathy, intense joy, and profound sorrow." Nyrop writes that the most common example is the "intense feeling which knits parents to their offspring", but he adds that kisses of affection are not only common between parents and children, but also between other members of the same family, which can include those outside the immediate family circle, "everywhere where deep affection unites people." The tradition

6612-480: The workmen could work on their own tombs, and since they were amongst the best craftsmen in Ancient Egypt who excavated and decorated royal tombs, their own tombs are considered to be some of the most beautiful on the west bank. A large proportion of the community, including women, could at least read and possibly write. The jobs of the workers would have been considered desirable and prized positions, with

6699-631: Was Set maat ("Place of Truth"), and the workmen who lived there were called "Servants in the Place of Truth". During the Christian era, the temple of Hathor was converted into a Monastery of Saint Isidorus the Martyr ( Coptic : ⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲙ̄ⲫⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲓⲥⲓⲇⲱⲣⲟⲥ ⲡⲙⲁⲣⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ ) from which the Egyptian Arabic name Deir el-Medina ("Monastery of the City") is derived. At the time when the world's press

6786-456: Was concentrating on Howard Carter 's discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, a team led by Bernard Bruyère began to excavate the site. This work has resulted in one of the most thoroughly documented accounts of community life in the ancient world that spans almost four hundred years. There is no comparable site in which the organisation, social interactions, working and living conditions of

6873-571: Was documented as early as 2500 BCE. Kissing was present in both romantic and familial contexts in ancient Mesopotamia, but it was subject to social regulation, and public display of the sexual aspect of kissing was discouraged. Kissing also had a role in rituals. The act of kissing may have unintentionally facilitated the transmission of orally transmitted microorganisms, potentially leading to disease. Advances in ancient DNA extraction have revealed pathogen genomes in human remains, including those transmitted through saliva. The shift in dominant lineages of

6960-516: Was first described in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata . Anthropologist Vaughn Bryant argues kissing spread from India to Europe after Alexander the Great conquered parts of Punjab in northern India in 326 BCE. The Romans were passionate about kissing and talked about several types of kissing. Kissing the hand or cheek was called an osculum . Kissing on the lips with mouth closed was called

7047-432: Was home to a mixed population of Egyptians, Nubians and Asiatics who were employed as labourers, (stone-cutters, plasterers, water-carriers), as well as those involved in the administration and decoration of the royal tombs and temples. The artisans and the village were organised into two groups, left and right gangs who worked on opposite sides of the tomb walls similar to a ship's crew, with a foreman for each who supervised

7134-550: Was introduced only through European settlement, before which it was not a routine occurrence. Such cultures include certain indigenous peoples of Australia, the Tahitians, and many tribes in Africa. A kiss can also be used to express feelings without an erotic element but can be nonetheless "far deeper and more lasting", writes Nyrop. He adds that such kisses can be expression of love "in the widest and most comprehensive meaning of

7221-533: Was normally supervised by the Mistress of the House , though the workmen considered the monitoring of the activity as a legitimate excuse for taking time off work. The workers and their families were not slaves but free citizens with recourse to the justice system, as required. In principle, any Egyptian could petition the vizier and could demand a trial by his peers. The community had its own court of law made up of

7308-495: Was noted by Justin in the 2nd century, now referred to as the " kiss of peace ," and once part of the rite in the primitive Mass. Conybeare has stated that this act originated within the ancient Hebrew synagogue , and Philo , the ancient Jewish philosopher called it a "kiss of harmony", where, as Crawley explains, "the Word of God brings hostile things together in concord and the kiss of love." Saint Cyril also writes, "this kiss

7395-481: Was the last of the royal tombs built in the Valley of the Kings) due to increasing threats from tomb robbery, Libyan raids and the instability of civil war. The Ptolemids later built a temple to Hathor on the site of an ancient shrine dedicated to her. The surviving texts record the events of daily life rather than major historical incidents. Personal letters reveal much about the social relations and family life of

7482-521: Was the tomb of Isis . When they retrieved the plunder, they didn't return it to the tombs; instead, they added it to the treasury. The French Egyptologist and author Christian Jacq has written a tetralogy dealing with Deir el-Medina and its artisans, as well as Egyptian political life at the time. Deir el-Medina is also mentioned in some of the later books of the Amelia Peabody series by Barbara Mertz (writing as Elizabeth Peters). The village

7569-486: Was usually well-run, in view of the importance of the work it carried out. Paying proper wages was a religious duty that formed an intrinsic part of Maat . When this system broke down it indicated problems in the wider state. The coming of the Iron Age and the collapse of the empire led to economic instability, with inflation a notable feature. The high ideals expressed in the code of Maat became strained and this provided

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