Pyramid Builders Tombs Found at Giza
“These tombs were built beside the king’s pyramid, which indicates that these people were not by any means slaves…If they were slaves, they would not have been able to build their tombs beside their king’s.” said Dr Zahi Hawass.
There is also evidence that the builders ate a luxurious diet of meat, not the sort of thing slaves would have been fed. Records show that each day 21 buffalo and 23 sheep were sent to the plateau to feed the workers.
More from the website of Dr Hawass:
The most important tomb is the one belonging to Idu. It is rectangular in structure with a mud brick outside casing covered with plaster. It has several burial shafts cased with white limestone, as well as niches in front of each shaft.
Adel Okasha, supervisor of the excavation, said that the upper part of Idu’s tomb had a vaulted shape, symbolizing the eternal hill from which the human creation began, according to the Memphis religious tradition. This shape, said Okasha, is strong evidence that this tomb dates to the early 4th Dynasty. This shape is also similar to those of tombs located beside Snefru’s pyramid in Dahshur.
On the western side of Idu’s tomb, the mission uncovered another collection of workmen’s tombs as well as the remains of coffins, while on its southern side another large tomb has been found. It is a rectangular shaped tomb built of mud brick with several burial shafts, each one containing a bent skeleton along with sherds of clay.
Knowledge of the tombs belonging to the builders of the pyramids is not new. Mark Lehner worked for many years at Giza to uncover the tombs of the workers and has documented these tombs in detail.
For the past decade the Giza Mapping Project has been focused on the ‘Lost City’ of the pyramid builders at Giza. The project uncovered evidence indicating that the pyramids were built by skilled workers and not by slaves as suggested by popular Hollywood movies.
You can download the latest AERA report from last year’s field work on the plateau by clicking on the image above.
Further reading:
Press Release – New Tombs Found at Giza – Dr Zahi Hawass’ website
Egypt tombs suggest pyramids not built by slaves – Reuters
Egypt Discovers New Workers’ Tombs Near Pyramids – NPR (with photos)
AERA interactive website: Lost City.
AERA Blog: Ancient Egyptian Reseach Center – A blog of field activity in Egypt
Giza Plateau Mapping Project website.
Related posts:
- How Were the Egyptian Pyramids Built? – Part 6 ‘They Were Not Slaves’ – Mark Lehner Marking the end...
- The Giza Reports The Giza Plateau Mapping Project has been in existence since...
- Two 5th Dynasty Tombs Discovered at Saqqara Two tombs have been discovered at Saqqara dating to the...
- The Lost City and the New AERA Blog When Mark Lehner first travelled to Egypt in 1973 with...
- The Latest on the Caves Under Giza Plateau Giza Plateau: September 10, 1983 Andrew Collins has once again...
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Hey Vincent,
I am glad I am not the only one who was scratching his head at the “newness” of this “news.” Dr. Lehner’s name is conspicuously absent from Mr. Hawass’ press release, and thus absent from all media coverage I have seen. The latter can be chalked up to the laziness of the media, the former on…?
I am knee-deep in an article I hope to post on Em Hotep tomorrow putting this news (ahem) into some context regrding the work of Dr. Lehner, not to mention Richard Redding of U. of Mich.
Nevermind the worker graffiti discovered by George Reisner, what, a century or so ago?
Good job on being the first writer that I have seen to call this story to the floor. Your diligence is, as always, much appreciated.
–Keith
Mark Lehner’s work on the ‘Lost City’ and the Giza Plateau Mapping Project is very well documented. Hawass did refer to it but just didn’t mention Lehner’s name when he said:
“This is the first time to uncover tombs like the ones that were found during the 1990’s, which belong to the late 4th and 5th Dynasties (2649-2374 BC),”
He did also mentioned the original discovery of the workers’ tombs in 1990. As you know, Hawass likes to make an impact with any new discovery and so I suppose he didn’t want to lessen it by harping on about the already discovered stuff.
As for the media, well, it’s become a copy and paste world I guess. Most of the articles, such as the Rueters story I linked to, also referred to the original discovery of the workers tombs in 1990 but none of them mentioned Mark Lehner or AERA which is a bit slack.
Thanks for your compliments. I look forward to reading your article.
True enough, Lehner and AERA are well covered, and in fairness the focus of Hawass’ press release was the new discovery. And he did offer the obligatory, if not anonymous, nod to Dr. Lehner’s work. But with all of the headlines giving the impression that we have “finally” proven that slaves did not build the pyramids..
Maybe it’s half knee-jerk reaction and half writing for my own edification. More than anything I think it’s just a first rate story! From his beginnings with the Cayce group, to plotting out the first real map of the plateau, narrowing down where to look for the builder’s settlement, and finally giving up a tenure-track position with the Oriental Institute to go all-out in his quest. There is something very Joseph Campbellian about it all.
I guess in the context of the recent headlines I feel he deserves more than an anonymous footnote, and writing my version of the tale is just me tilting at media windmills. But I shall endeavor not to reinvent the wheel!
Apparently somebody connected with Zahi’s blog reads you, Vincent! I noticed that the entry has been updated to include Mark Lehner!
Good for them!
Hehehe, I am sure they knew about it already but thanks anyway. Perhaps Hawass feeling a bit guilty for leaving Lehner out of the limelight. So how’s your article coming along?