(ORDO NEWS) — Not so long ago, archaeologists came to the conclusion: the pyramids were built by free people. And they were supervised by specialists – architects, engineers, stone cutters. And the stories about slaves are nothing more than a historical tale.
The main thing is authority
Why has this erroneous statement been considered true for so long? First of all, because the first legend about slaves was launched to the masses by a great authority – the great ancient Greek scientist Herodotus.
The “Father of History” visited Egypt in the 450s BC. He climbed up the Nile to Elephantine, visiting the cities of the delta, and then exploring Memphis, Hermopolis, Hemnis and Thebes. Herodotus talked both with ordinary people and with ancient Egyptian scientists, priests, nobles, trying to get information about all aspects of life in Egypt. He did not ignore the great pyramids. True, the information received was very peculiar. Here is what Herodotus writes about Cheops: “First of all, he ordered to close all the sanctuaries and forbade sacrifices to be made. Then he made all the Egyptians work for him … One hundred thousand people did this work continuously, changing every three months. ” According to Herodotus, the pyramid of Cheops was built for 20 years.
There is not a grain of truth in what Herodotus said. Firstly, there was no emergency (such as closed sanctuaries, a ban on sacrifices and an order to work for the pharaoh). Secondly, according to the experiments carried out, the erection of such a structure, even taking into account the use of modern mechanisms – excavators, cranes, saws, tractors, – would take at least 50 years, but rather even more. So, apparently, the construction of the Cheops pyramid was much longer. And in general, the ancient Egyptian pyramids were built for more than a thousand years, and it is usually problematic to indicate the exact dates of their construction.
It is clear that Herodotus did not vouch for the accuracy, because he came to Egypt in the 5th century BC, and the peak of the construction of the pyramids fell on the 3rd millennium BC. But the most important thing, in which Herodotus was mistaken, was that the pyramids were built by slaves.
Not at all. Those who built these beautiful structures could proudly declare: “We are not slaves!”
This is confirmed by numerous information, primarily archaeological excavations.
Construction detachments of “royal people”
The claim that the pyramids were built by slaves most likely arose from a feeling of admiration. After all, it is much easier to believe that such a mass of people can be organized only with a whip and a stick than that the logistical and engineering abilities of ancient people were not inferior to modern ones.
And the excavations of the camp of the “pyramid builders” found on the Giza plateau give no right to doubt that they were built by free people. This is proved by hieroglyphic records and reliefs, fragments of dishes and household items, trays for sifting flour, jars for beer, animal bones and other items.
If the pyramids were built by slaves, they would eat only bread and onions, and according to research by Egyptologist Mark Lehner, 11 cows and 33 goats were slaughtered daily to feed the workers. That is, the builders were fed almost “for slaughter”, very satisfying and nutritious – in any case, compared to the feeding in Stalin’s camps in the 40-50s of the XX century, the diet of the Egyptians was not even close.
The organization of the work of the builders was very reasonable. Thus, skilled artisans and architects lived and worked in the camp all year round. The rest of the builders, employed in less skilled jobs, changed every three months. These works were carried out by “khemuu nisut”, or “tsarist people”, which were practically all the ignorant population of the country. They obeyed the Pharaoh and formally worked in his household. The builders were paid for the work performed, and each of these workers, if desired, could make a career – to become a craftsman, artisan or manager. Of course, if you have the ability and desire.
Interestingly, the artisans, draftsmen and sculptors who served the pyramid lived in separate houses with their families. Each such house had rooms for storing tools. But the “royal people” lived in rooms for several people and ate in the common dining room.
Perhaps, such an organization of labor was no different from the one that was in the USSR during the heyday of socialism. True, we, as it turns out, had more slave labor. But the ancient Egyptians understood that slaves could not build anything outstanding, and even more so sacred like pyramids.
Maybe that’s why the pyramids have been standing for almost 5 thousand years. And what will happen to our Magnitogorsk or BAM at least in 100 years is unknown.
But it is quite obvious: our “construction sites of the century” are not competitors to the Egyptians.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.