The Great Pyramids of Giza were not built by slaves

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April 14

Dear Editor,
Before I go any further, I have to say that Anita Bond’s articles have always been entertaining and informative. However, she mentioned in her article ‘The 8th Wonder of the Ancient World’ (CBNews April 7-13, 2017) that the great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt were built by Egyptian slaves. This was probably stemmed from a description made by the ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, of the pyramids builders as slaves, creating what Egyptologists say is a myth propagated by Hollywood films.
I also have to mention the claim made, forty years ago, by the former Israeli Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, that his ancestors build the pyramids. This was, immediately, refuted by one of his own people. Amihai Mazar, professor at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said; ‘No Jews built the pyramids because Jews didn’t exist at the period when the pyramids were built’.
Now that is said, I would like to refer to a discovery made 7 years ago that proofs, beyond any doubt, that the great Pyramids of Giza were built by free Egyptian labourers, not slaves. In January, 2010 archaeologists discovered tombs more than 4,000 years old and said they belonged to people who worked on the great Pyramids of Giza. One of the archaeologists, Dr Zahi Hawass, said; ‘The finds show the workers were paid labourers, rather than slaves’.
This explains what we have always been reading in history books that the fourth dynasty pharaohs decided to use the farmers in building the pyramids since they were idle six month a year because of the annual Nile flood. They were seasonal workers, well paid and well fed.
Dr Zahi Hawass said; ‘The men who built the last remaining wonder of the ancient world ate meat regularly and worked in three-month shifts. There were, approximately 10,000 labourers working on the pyramids. They ate 21 cattle and 23 sheep sent to them daily from farms’.
I understand that Anita Bond always make her research before writing any article. I think, this time she didn’t get her facts right.

Best regards
Ezzeddin M. Ali
Egyptian journalist

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