The Discovery of the Tombs of the Pyramid Builders at Giza:
Dr. Zahi Hawass / Undersecretary of the State for the Giza Monuments
It was my hope to discover the tombs
of the workers who were constructing the Giza pyramids.
In my study, I figured the tombs and the camp
of workers were supposed to be situated south-east of the Sphinx.
Workers and farmers constitute about 80% of Ancient Egypt ‘s population, and we know
a lot about rulers, queens, and nobles, but we don’t know much about ordinary citizens.
The pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the Sphinx and the tombs of the noble artisans of the Old
Kingdom who founded these great monuments have attracted explorers, scholars and visitors for centuries to the wonders of Giza.
The pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the Sphinx and the tombs of the noble artisans of the Old Kingdom who founded these great temples have attracted explorers, scholars and visitors to the wonders of Giza for centuries.
In the fifth century B.C., when the Greek historian Herodotus visited Egypt, his guides told
him that 100,000 men had worked for 20 years to build the pyramid of Khufu.An enormous support system must have existed at Giza for at least 67 years, the combined minimum lengths of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure’s reigns.
such support would have included production facilities for food, ceramics and building materials (gypsum mortar, stone, wood and metal tools); storage facilities for food, fuel and other supplies, housing for workmen , their families and priests responsible for services in pyramid temples that remained in use long after the main building phase was completed, and a cemetery for workers who died in the employ of the royal necropolis.
