Ancient Egyptian excuses for days of work - Bitten by a scorpion

An ostracon from Deir el-Medina during the 40th year of the reign of Ramesses II (1303-1213 BC).  Deir el-Medina was the village of the artisans and workers who constructed the tombs and temples in the Valley of the Kings from the 18th-20th Dynasties in the New Kingdom.  

Click to enlarge.

From the British Museum.

Ostracon with register of attendance at work. Labelled 'Year 40' of Ramses II, it provides a workmen's register for 280 days of the year. There are twenty-four lines of New Egyptian hieratic on the front and twenty-one lines on the back. A list of forty names is arranged in columns on the right edge of each side, followed to the left by dates written in black in a horizontal line. Above most dates is a word or phrase in red, indicating the reason why this individual was absent from work on that date.

This ostracon is basically the HR absent from work list for a workshop circa 1263 BC.  

Among the excuses offered by Ancient Egyptians for their absences from work.  

Penduauu - Drinking with Khonsu

Hornefer - Away from work with his boss (7), ill.  

Sawadjyt - Away from work with his boss (3) , daughter's menstruation, making offerings to the god, making libations to his father.

Horemwia - Away from work with his boss (5), brewing beer, ill (9).

Amennakht -  - Away from work with his boss (6), brewing beer.

Wadjmose - Building his house, daughter's menstruation.  

Hehnekhu - Away from work with his boss (2), wrapping the corpse of his mother (2).  

Nakhy - Away from work with his boss (2).  

Nakhtmin - Libations, fetching stone for the scribe, wife's menstruation.  

Pennub - Away from work with Aapehti (2), fetching stone for the scribe (2), working with the scribe (2) , brewing beer, mother was ill.  

Aapeht - Ill (11), Offering to the god.

Khaemtir  - Away from work with his boss (4), burying the god, brewing beer, ill.  

Amenmose - Brewing beer.

Anuy - fetching stone for the scribe, brewing beer.  

Wennefer - Offering to the god (2) 

Buqentuf - Away from work with his boss, brewing beer, wrapping the corpse of his mother (2) 

Manninakhtef Huy - Away from work with his boss (8), brewing beer (5), ill (7).

Paherypedjet - Away from work with Aapehti (9), offering to the god, with Khons making remedies (4), making remedies for the scribes wife (6), with Horemwia (3) ill (2).

Huynefer - ill (4) suffering with his eye (2) 

Amenemwia - embalming Hormose, absent, brewing beer, strengthening the door, ill (2), wrapping the corpse of his mother.  

Inhurkhawy - wife's menstruation.  

Neferabu - daughter's menstruation, burying the god, embalming his brother, libations for his brother, wife's menstruation.  

Paser - libation for his son, brewing beer, ill (2).

Pakhuru - ill (5).

Seba - bitten by a scorpion, ill (3), wife's menstruation. 

Neferemsenut - ill.

Simut - absent, wife's menstruation.  

Khons - ill (5), with his god, his feast (2).

Inuy - fetching stone for Qenherkhepshef (2), absent with scribe.  

Suneroeer, ill (2)  - Brewing beer, ill (7).

Nebenmaat - ill (11) 

Merwaset - brewing beer, ill (6),  absent with his boss, mourning his son.  

Bakenmut - fetching stone for the scribe, offering to the god, daughter's menstruation, wrapping the corpse of his son (3), and with scribe (2).  

Iierniutef - absent (2) , with the scribe (3), ill.

Nakhtamun - brewing beer, away from work with his boss (12), with the scribe, suffering with his eye (2), and ill (2) 

Nakhtamun - away from work with his boss. 

It is assumed that, as these artisans were working on sacred sites, that association with a menstruating woman was some sort of taboo and therefore an excusable absence.

Some people were more ill than others, some more frequently traveling related to work, some with a greater variety of excuses.  In terms of most frequently cited excuses:

Ill - 19

Drinking and brewing beer - 15

Away from work with someone - 13

Working with a scribe - 10

Menstruation - 9

Religious (god) - 8

Fetching stone for a scribe - 5

Wrapping a corpse - 4

Libations - 4

Making remedies - 2

Eye - 2

Bitten by a scorpion - 1

Building a house - 1

Repairing a door - 1

It is worth noting that there is a loose correlation between absences for brewing beer and absences for being ill.  Just saying.

And it is heartening to see that the continuing tradition among many college students to claim extensions on papers due to a death in the family has its ancient Egyptian equivalent - time off for embalming a family member.  

And then there is bitten by a scorpion.  Classic.