Giza pyramids

[Minimalist]

Old Kingdom Egypt had a population of 2 million if I remember right.

That's probably a ball park figure, half of them would be women, too.

Still, the same Egyptologists who tell us that the pyramids were built in 20 years by men with copper tools, ropes, sleds, and muscle power also claim that the primary workforce was 8,000 skilled craftsmen who worked all year round and another 20,000 seasonal workers who were brought in to move the stones. These numbers are based on the size of what they think the camp sites are for those workers according to Zahi Hawass and Marc Lehner.

I would suspect that travel in Egypt at flood season was rather dicey. Sailing upriver would be damn near impossible because of the current and sailing with the current would be "exhilarating" at least. Even walking to the job site would have been doubtful because the settled area was what flooded. Actually getting people to the job site would have most likely meant that the work force was drawn from a limited area near Giza and then of course you have to get them back to their farms so they can plant while the time is right.

Aside from the engineering, it is a logistical puzzle of the highest order.

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It would be worth it.

Egypt can't afford it.