Who Built the Pyramids

Herodotus

The famous Greek historian, Herodotus, is the earliest known chronicler of the Egyptian pyramids, writing in the 5th century B.C. By his reckoning, the labour force that built the Pyramid of Khufu totaled more than 100,000 people. But as Herodotus visited the pyramids 2,700 years after they were built, his figure is most probably an educated guess and largely bases on hearsay. Modern experts believe that the labour force was more likely to be between 20,000 and 30,000 people.

Slave Labour?

Until recently it was believed that the pyramids were built by slaves, captured during the conquering of neighbouring countries. After returning to Egypt they were pushed into slavery and forced to work in labour camps for the construction of the pyramids by a merciless pharaoh. Several Hollywood productions have helped plant this image into the minds of modern civilization.

However, several recent discoveries by archaeologists have cast major doubts upon this theory.

Volunteers?

A popular belief today is that the pyramids were build by the ordinary ancient Egyptian people, volunteering to help out their pharaoh and religious beliefs.

During the flooding of the nile most people, especially those working the land, would have been unable to work. So, with all that free time and a period of no income, it makes sense that this 'workforce' would be available to help construct the pyramids.

Aliens?

An outlandish theory is that the pyramids were not even built by humans but by visitors from another world. The resononing is that because the pyramids (esp. Giza) are so accurately aligned with the points of the compass, the angle of the slop is so precise, the stone blocks so heavy and the pyramids so tall that only aliens could have achieved this level of mathematical and engineering sophistication at that period of time.

The bottom line is that, at present, we just do not have a definitive answer. Unfortunately no records have ever been discovered to tell us just exactly who built these wonderful buildings.