The classic when you're at school is that slave labour built the pyramids, and to value them but to remember the times for what they were - the imbalance of power and wealth between pharoahs, those in high places, and slaves. You hear that the Pyramids were built as tombs for the Pharaohs of their time, to be wonderful resting places to remember them for their achievements. Then you hear no body was ever found in a tomb, and everyone's heard the laziness around aliens being involved.

Obviously, then you grow up and learn more.

As far as I'm aware, this is my current understanding, but I'd love it to be updated or clarified.

TOMBS? It does in fact appear to be the case that the Pyramids were built as tombs for Pharoahs, despite historical uncertainty, and the bodies were simply raided or moved in the years/centuries that followed and now aren't to be found. They simultaneously were more of a ln industrial statement, a marvel of mathematics, workforce and style, to be pillars of the Egyptian empire for the world to see. The intricacies like each pyramid having 8 sides and being superiorly close to true north facing is probably just a nod to the gods of their time and astronomical worship.

SLAVES: The building of the Pyramids was NOT slave labour, I'm not entirely sure if slaves were present in ancient Egypt, but it appears that the work (though strenuous) was paid, I believe in food rather than money. The workers were also somehow trained and skilled in their craft as opposed to being whipped in the streets to perform animalistic tasks. I'd be surprised of course, though, if there wasn't some abuse or strict nature around schedules and effort.

ARCHITECTURE/METHOD: I believe I have read that pulley systems were ultimately one of the pivotal methods of managing the large weights around the blocks and placing them, harnessing some proactive Physical Mechanics. Also, with respect to the blocks being linked to an area of land thousands of miles away, it seemed the River Nile was partially diverted so as to run close to the building site, making transport of resources far easier.

Is there anything else I'm missing or have misunderstood? Clearly there's plenty of fascinating stuff like the strange small extra avenues inside the pyramids only partially discovered, the odd link between the sphinx and the great pyramid (secret tunnel?) I've even stumbled on the link between Tesla's electromagnetic pyramid theory (it seems there's an active site by the Pyramids, almost as if they knew a potential use of a large body built on the site).

I'd love to learn, thanks for reading!

Edit: spelling