Mind-Benders of Ancient Egyptian History
The first recorded strike in history was over late paychecks
Around 1157 BCE, under Ramesses III, the skilled artisans who built the royal tombs at Deir el-Medina downed tools when their grain rations arrived late, staging sit-ins and marching to the temples crying “we are hungry.” A scribe recorded the whole episode on what is now called the Turin Strike Papyrus — the earliest documented labor strike in human history.
How we know
The Deir el-Medina strike dates to Year 29 of Ramesses III (r. c.1184–1153 BCE), c.1157 BCE, recorded by the scribe Amennakhte on the Turin Strike Papyrus (Museo Egizio, Cat. 1880); it is recognized as the first recorded strike. c.1157 BCE ≈ 3,180 years ago.
One of many fact-checked wonders across eight traditions at The Spring of Wisdom.