The world's first strike
On this day:
The world's first recorded strike took place, when laborers working on a pyramid in Egypt downed tools .
There is no evidence of a trade union's involvement.
Update: tells me this historic strike coincides with the CBI's annual conference!
Comment number 1.
At 23rd Nov 2009, Heliopolitan wrote:Will, you know I hate to be picky(!), but this was in the reign of Rameses III, last of the Great Pharaohs, 20th Dynasty c.1186-1155BCE, New Kingdom. Pharaohs in this era were buried in rock-cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings, not pyramids. The strike in question was when the workers from Deir el-Medina (the Place of Truth) downed tools and refused to work on the royal tomb until they had received their wages and supplies. It's widely seen as evidence that the concepts of Pharaonic kingship were starting to slide.
Just a minor correction :-)
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Comment number 2.
At 26th Nov 2009, mccamleyc wrote:Just asking this here as it's an almost empty thread. You remember all those discussions about the wonders of peer review and climate change theory.
Anyone care to comment on the revelations of the Climategate hacking which show how peer review really operates.
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Comment number 3.
At 28th Nov 2009, Heliopolitan wrote:Chris, this thread (!) is all about journalistic accuracy - I mean, is it not absolutely *heinous* that a pharaonic rock-cut tomb in the Valley of the Kings should be confused with a pyramid, the preferred model for the epicentre of the mortuary complexes of the pharaohs a millennium before?
Ancient Egypt has endured enough of this mindless stereotyping.
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Comment number 4.
At 29th Nov 2009, mccamleyc wrote:Helio - I agree totally. Journalists are lazy bleepers who never investigate properly and take most of their news from wikipedia
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Comment number 5.
At 29th Nov 2009, Heliopolitan wrote:Except Will of course. He's normally very thorough - I'll let him away with this "pyramid" gaffe ;-)
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