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The guardian of the tombs from the Valley
of the Kings is the medjay; this was a police man from the New
Kingdom. The term dates from the Old Kingdom when the word was
referring to a desert tribesmen group from Nubia who were
recruited by the Egypt` s army as scouts. Beginning with the New
Kingdom, more precisely with the 18th dynasty, ‘medjay’ was used
as the Egyptian word for ‘policeman’ as the medjay were hired in
Egypt` s police force. The duty of the medjay was to protect the
Western Thebes` s towns, the cemeteries, the frontiers of the
desert, as well to maintain the order in Egypt. The medjay were
also responsible to the Thebes` major. It seems that they were
introduced in the Egypt` s society so easily because they has
already served in the Egypt` s army. Other responsibilities of
the medjay were to ensure the safety of the tombs, the
inspection of the tombs, activities of messengers, the
assistance of the workers, the movement of the stone blocks, the
protection of the workers from the different dangers, the
guaranty of the workers` good behavior, the interrogation of the
thieves; they also could have implications in the administrative
functions and apply punishments. But the police was not the
army` s extension. It had the mission of protecting the weak
person of the society from the strong ones and to enforce the
orders of the gods. Despite these, the police was viewed as
protectors and guardians of the community and not as a hostile
body. The role of the rural police was of protecting the farmers
from the thieves, of convincing the peasants to pay their taxes
even through physical force and persuasion. There was a police
for the desert’s frontiers too. |
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