Royal hymns describe the ‘happy faces’ and ‘joyous hearts’ of corvée workers. No doubt there’s an element of propaganda here, but it’s clear that, even in periods of monarchy and empire, these seasonal projects were undertaken in a festive spirit, labourers receiving copious rewards of bread, beer, dates, cheese and meat. There was also something of the carnival about them. They were occasions when the moral order of the city spun on its axis, and distinctions between citizens dissolved away.
