Philosophy & Evolution of Egyptian Pyramids

[abaris]

Oh, no doubt Herodotus gets much wrong in his Histories. Maybe they were simply "labor workers" though I can't imagine that would have been a dignified position. Anyway, here are the relevant texts by him on the construction of the pyramids: http://www.cheops-pyramide.ch/khufu-pyramid/herodotus.html

No, they weren't. They were perfectly cared for as archeological discoveries show. The reason for this being that the pharao was considered their link to the gods and providing the ultimate service for his passing, they were held in very high regards and got all the food they could wish for as well as high standards of medicial services. Look it up.

We do know much more about the work activities, particularly at Giza, then ever before. Archaeologists have carefully studied the worker's villages, the craft shops, the bakeries and other related structures, which of course give us some idea of the workforce. So how many people did it take to build the Great Pyramid at Giza? Verner tells us that the current consensus among Egyptologists sets the figure at a little more than 30,000. Lehner, who has worked at Giza for many years and conducted experiments on building pyramids, is considered one of the leading authorities on these structures. He claims a somewhat lower estimate, including carpenters to make tools and sledges, metal workers to make and sharpen cutting tools, potters to make pots for food preparation and hauling water for mortar and other purposes, bakers, brewers and others, consisting of between 20,000 and 25,000 workers at any one time. In fact, as the pyramid grew, fewer and fewer men were probably required, for work at the top required much less stone and the construction space became more limited. This number of men, which was probably drastically reduced during the agricultural seasons, probably finished the Great Pyramid of Khufu in less than 23 years.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/...kforce.htm