(1) name lists
Name lists were used across time as an effective control mechanism
They vary in expression and formal structure:
Monthly rotation of staff offered tight accountability
This system is attested for temple staff (not priests alone - this includes doorkeepers etc); at Lahun there were four teams or 'watches' (Egyptologists often use the Greek word 'phyle') for staff looking after the pyramid complex
Each 'watch' provided staff from a listed pool of possible recruits
Every month, outgoing and incoming teams agree that all is in order in a temple; written record was kept of this agreement in the temple day-book
It would be in the interest of any incoming team to report any negative aspect; otherwise they risked being held responsible, for example for damage or loss of items, when handing over to the next group
On the four watch system, each watch provided staff three times in the twelve month year - convenient for the accountant
In the Old Kingdom (about 2686-2181 BC) and again in the Ptolemaic Period, a system of five watches operated in temples.
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