The Egyptian Pyramids are a giant structure in the middle of the desert that can be seen from satellites. Building these pyramids must have been a huge task, so who did it?

The pyramids could not have been built by Jewish slaves, as no archaeological remains that could be directly linked to Jews have been found in Egypt dating back 4,500 years, when the Giza pyramids were built, archaeological research has revealed.

Additionally, the story told in the Hebrew Bible about the Hebrews being enslaved in Egypt mentions a city called “Ramesses.” A city called pi-Ramesses was founded during the 19th dynasty (c. 1295-1186 BC) and named after Ramesses II, who reigned 1279-1213 BC. This city was built after the pyramid-building period ended in Egypt.

Furthermore, no archaeological evidence has been found of the lost city of Atlantis for any period of time, and many scholars believe the story to be fictional. For aliens, the idea is considered impossible.

In fact, Egyptologists say, all the evidence suggests that the ancient Egyptians built pyramids. However, how the pyramid builders lived, how they were rewarded, and how they were treated remain mysteries that researchers are still trying to figure out.

The Pyramids and Their Builders

Egypt has over 100 ancient pyramids, but the most famous include the first step pyramid, built during the reign of pharaoh Djoser (c. 2630–2611 BC), and the first true pyramid, built during the reign of pharaoh Snefru (c. 2575–2551 BC). The Great Pyramid was built at Giza during the reign of pharaoh Khufu (c. 2551–2528 BC), and two of his successors, Khafre (c. 2520–2494 BC) and Menkaure (c. 2490–2472 BC), also had pyramids built at Giza.

The pharaohs gradually stopped building pyramids during the New Kingdom (1550–1070 BC), choosing instead to be buried in the Valley of the Kings, about 300 miles (483 km) south of Giza.

Over the past few decades, archaeologists have found new evidence that provides clues about who the pyramid builders were and how they lived.

Surviving records, including a papyri manuscript discovered in 2013 at Wadi al-Jarf on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, suggest that large groups of workers helped carry the materials to Giza. The papyri found at Wadi al-Jarf tells of a group of 200 men led by an inspector named Merer who transported the stones by boat along the banks of the Nile, 18km from the Great Pyramid at Tura, where they were used to build the pyramid’s outer layer.

Previously, Egyptologists had theorized that the pyramid builders were largely seasonal farmers, who worked during times of the year when there was little agricultural work to be done. The papyri detailing the pyramid’s history are still being deciphered and analyzed, but the results indicate that the team led by Merer did more than help build the pyramid.

These workers appear to have traveled across much of Egypt, possibly as far as the Sinai desert, carrying out various construction projects and tasks ᴀssigned to them. This raises the question of whether they were part of a permanent professional workforce, rather than a group of seasonal agricultural workers who would return to their fields.

Pyramid builders benefits?

According to Pierre Tallet, an Egyptology professor at the University of Paris-Sorbonne in France, who is deciphering the papyri and co-leader of the team that found them, the workers were fed a diet that included dates, vegetables, poultry and meat. In addition to the healthy diet, the papyri describe members of the work crew regularly receiving textiles, which may have been considered a reward at the time.

Additionally, officials in high-ranking positions involved in the pyramid’s construction may have received land grants, said Mark Lehner, director of the Ancient Egypt Research ᴀssociation (AERA), a Mᴀssachusetts-based research insтιтute.

Historical records show that at times in Egyptian history, officials were granted land. However, it is not known whether the officials who were granted land were involved in the construction of the pyramids.

Lehner’s team is excavating a town in Giza that was frequented by some of the workers building the pyramid of Menkaure. So far, archaeologists have found evidence that the town’s ancient inhabitants baked large quanтιтies of bread, slaughtered thousands of animals, and brewed large quanтιтies of beer.

Based on animal bones found at the site, and considering the nutritional needs of the workers, archaeologists estimate that about 1,800 kg of animals, including cattle, sheep and goats, were slaughtered on average each day, to provide food for the workers.

The remains of workers buried in tombs near the pyramids show that the workers had healed bones, suggesting that they had access to medical care available at the time. The rich diet of the pyramid builders, combined with evidence of medical care and the receipt of textiles, has led Egyptologists to generally agree that the workers were not slaves.

This does not mean, however, that all workers were equally housed. AERA’s excavations have shown that some higher-ranking officials lived in large houses and had access to the finest meat. Conversely, Lehner suspects that lower-ranking workers may have slept in simple houses or “backed up” at the pyramids themselves.