I’m not sure “expendable labor” is really the most accurate description. My understanding was that the pharoahs hired skilled artisans and craftsmen during winter seasons in exchange for food. They didn’t use slaves to build the pyramids, to my understanding
You can do anything
Submitted 4 weeks ago by cm0002@lemmings.world to memes@sopuli.xyz
https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/6e18a562-372d-4fcf-9b97-9da559bf55a2.jpeg
Comments
Contramuffin@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
homes@piefed.world 4 weeks ago
to be fair, this meme is so very old (20-25 years old, possibly older), it probably predates that understanding which is only about 14 years old.
although there has long been the belief that the Ancient Egyptians couldn’t reasonably have built such incredible architectural wonders so long ago without the use of skilled laborers rather than slaves (as widely believed due to myths and legends), it wasn’t really conclusively proven until a number of archeological discoveries were made around 2011-2012, IIRC.
marcos@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Yeah, I had to check… Asterisx and Cleopatra had some dialog about how they weren’t slaves¹… Published in 1970.
I’m not sure knowledgeable people ever thought they were built by slaves.
1 - The author had some serious academic credentials.
Gork@sopuli.xyz 4 weeks ago
You can do anything at Zombocom
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
i think historical accounts show that they were fairly paid professionals, probably should have paid more, but definitely not slaves.
i think a recent discovery showed that they flooded the area, and used boats to bring the limestone blocks straight to the pyramid. highly technical and professional work.
fartsparkles@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Great BBC article on this.
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I’ll assume it’s a good link, but I rather not give BBC any clicks, given how pro genocidal they are
sydd@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
What about the ones on top?
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
they had to pull them with ramps, but it’s insane that they flooded the area and brought the blocks straight to the pyramid.