Is there any proof that slaves built the pyramids?
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Undo3 Answers
Darren Dee, Artist, Dreamer, One Beer Screamer.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus once described the pyramid builders as slaves thus creating a myth later propagated by Hollywood films.
In fact there is evidence that suggests slaves DID NOT build the pyramids.
In January 2010, Egyptian authorities displayed newly discovered tombs more than 4,000 years old and said they belonged to people who worked on the Great Pyramids of Giza, putting the discovery forth as more evidence that slaves did not build the ancient monuments.
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The graves of the pyramid builders, pictured above, were first discovered in 1990 when a tourist on horseback stumbled over a wall that later proved to be a tomb. The mud-brick tombs are in the backyard of the Giza pyramids, stretching beyond a burial site first discovered in the 1990s and dating to the 4th Dynasty (2575 B.C. to 2467 B.C.).
Their proximity to the pyramids and the manner of burial in preparation for the afterlife backs this theory, no way would they have been buried so honorably if they were slaves.
Nine-foot-deep shafts held a dozen skeletons of pyramid builders, perfectly preserved by dry desert sand along with jars that once contained beer and bread meant for the workers' afterlife.
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The discovery, and the latest finds, show that the workers were paid laborers, rather than slaves.The builders came from poor Egyptian families from the north and the south, and were respected for their work -- so much so that those who died during construction were bestowed the honor of being buried in the tombs near the sacred pyramids of their pharaohs.
The tombs contained no gold or valuables, which safeguarded them from tomb-raiders throughout antiquity. The skeletons were found buried in a fetal position -- the head pointing to the West and the feet to the East according to ancient Egyptian beliefs, surrounded by the jars once filled with supplies for afterlife.
It is believed the men who built the last remaining wonder of the ancient world ate meat regularly and worked in three months shifts.
It took 10,000 workers more than 30 years to build a single pyramid - a tenth of the work force of 100,000 that Herodotus wrote of after visiting Egypt around 450 B.C.
Further evidence from the site indicates that the approximately 10,000 laborers working on the pyramids ate 21 cattle and 23 sheep sent to them daily from farms.
Because their bones tell us the story of how hard they worked, we know that though they were not slaves, the pyramid builders led a life of hard labor. Their skeletons have signs of arthritis, and their lower vertebrae point to a life passed in difficulty.
In fact there is evidence that suggests slaves DID NOT build the pyramids.
In January 2010, Egyptian authorities displayed newly discovered tombs more than 4,000 years old and said they belonged to people who worked on the Great Pyramids of Giza, putting the discovery forth as more evidence that slaves did not build the ancient monuments.
The graves of the pyramid builders, pictured above, were first discovered in 1990 when a tourist on horseback stumbled over a wall that later proved to be a tomb. The mud-brick tombs are in the backyard of the Giza pyramids, stretching beyond a burial site first discovered in the 1990s and dating to the 4th Dynasty (2575 B.C. to 2467 B.C.).
Their proximity to the pyramids and the manner of burial in preparation for the afterlife backs this theory, no way would they have been buried so honorably if they were slaves.
Nine-foot-deep shafts held a dozen skeletons of pyramid builders, perfectly preserved by dry desert sand along with jars that once contained beer and bread meant for the workers' afterlife.
.
The discovery, and the latest finds, show that the workers were paid laborers, rather than slaves.The builders came from poor Egyptian families from the north and the south, and were respected for their work -- so much so that those who died during construction were bestowed the honor of being buried in the tombs near the sacred pyramids of their pharaohs.
The tombs contained no gold or valuables, which safeguarded them from tomb-raiders throughout antiquity. The skeletons were found buried in a fetal position -- the head pointing to the West and the feet to the East according to ancient Egyptian beliefs, surrounded by the jars once filled with supplies for afterlife.
It is believed the men who built the last remaining wonder of the ancient world ate meat regularly and worked in three months shifts.
It took 10,000 workers more than 30 years to build a single pyramid - a tenth of the work force of 100,000 that Herodotus wrote of after visiting Egypt around 450 B.C.
Further evidence from the site indicates that the approximately 10,000 laborers working on the pyramids ate 21 cattle and 23 sheep sent to them daily from farms.
Because their bones tell us the story of how hard they worked, we know that though they were not slaves, the pyramid builders led a life of hard labor. Their skeletons have signs of arthritis, and their lower vertebrae point to a life passed in difficulty.
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David Lipovitch, (zoo)archaeologist/professor/Hebrew Bible scholar/public lecturer
Gwydion Madawc Williams, Ancient history is full of the fascinating unfamiliar. People lived differently