The builders of the pyramids were not slaves, as previously believed, but paid workers who were buried honorably near the pyramids. Archaeologists found well-preserved skeletons of pyramid builders, along with containers of beer and bread for the afterlife. Building pyramids was hard work and the workers worked in three-month shifts, with signs of poor health found in their skeletons.
Egyptologists estimate that it would have taken 10,000 workers over 30 years to build just one of the great pyramids in the Giza complex, which includes the Great Pyramid. But who were the people who built those pyramids? The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the builders of the pyramids were slaves, and many stories and films have incorrectly depicted the Israelites of the Book of Exodus working in slavery to build the pyramids. However, the 2010 discovery of 4,000-year-old tombs at Giza paints a very different picture. Archaeologists have found well-preserved skeletons of pyramid builders, along with containers of beer and bread for the afterlife. Slaves would not have been buried so honorably, nor so close to the pyramids – which were, after all, tombs for the god-like pharaohs.
A hard way to make a living:
According to Egypt’s chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, paid workers were respected for their work. Their burial site near the Great Pyramid of Giza supports this theory, he says.
The skeletons were found buried in the fetal position, with their heads facing west and their feet facing east, in accordance with ancient Egyptian burial practices.
Building pyramids was hard work and the workers are thought to have worked in three-month shifts. The unearthed skeletons of the workers showed signs of arthritis, compromised lower vertebrae and general poor health.
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