Anakhoresis

Khoresis was an ancient Egyptian practise of individuals withdrawing their labor if they were dissatisfied with their work.

It began with peasant farmers running away from their farms if taxes became too heavy or the spring floods failed. It spread to villagers withdrawing in protest of injustices as well as poor pay. For instance, if a man were executed and the villagers felt the sentence was unjust, the whole village might withdraw in protest.

If the authorities attempted to use force to put villagers back to their places or to arrest the ringleaders, it could incite the khoresis to spread. On a couple of occasions, the whole Nile valley had been paralyzed, from the delta to the first rapids.

By the fourteenth century, the practise had spread to even the biggest cities, including Alexandria.