5. The Pyramids
When we think of how Egyptian pyramids were built, we imagine thousands of slaves pulling huge stone block up the ramps, with Pharaoh’s guards cracking whips around them. While there probably were some slaves involved, most of the work in pyramid construction was done by paid professionals. The pyramid builders took great pride in their work and were held in high esteem in Egyptian society. Their pay was 10 loafs of bread and a jug of beer per day. Total workforce involved in building the Great Pyramid could be as small as 30,000. The crews rotated on and off the construction site in shifts that lasted few months. Only a core of some 5,000 expert stonemasons and engineers were present during the whole operation. If anything, this makes pyramid building even more astonishing.
