Ancient Egypt Had the First Recorded Workers' Strike in History
In 1152 BC, Egyptian tomb builders went on strike when their grain rations were delayed, staging sit-ins and protests that successfully got them paid.
About this fact
The first recorded labor strike in history occurred in ancient Egypt in 1152 BC during the reign of Ramesses III. The workers building royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings hadn't received their monthly grain rations, which served as their wages. Led by a man named Amenemheb, the workers organized what we would recognize today as a proper strike. They staged sit-ins at nearby mortuary temples, refused to work, and held protest demonstrations. They even wrote complaint letters to officials, some of which have survived on papyrus. The workers chanted 'We are hungry!' and occupied administrative buildings. Their strike tactics were remarkably sophisticated - they knew to target religious sites where their protests would be most visible and disruptive. After several days, the authorities capitulated and paid the overdue rations. This 3,000-year-old strike established many precedents for modern labor actions.