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Just found out the Great Pyramids weren't built by slaves
I was reading a book by Dr. Mark Lehner last week and he had this whole section about worker tombs near the pyramids. Turns out the workers were paid in beer and bread and got medical care. My high school teacher always said slaves built them but that's totally wrong now. The skeletons show they had healed broken bones which means they got treatment. Anyone else grow up believing the old slave story too?
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jennybailey11d ago
Guess my social studies textbook was just pyramid scheme fiction.
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taylor.brooke11d ago
Gotta wonder how many high school textbooks are just recycling bad info from the 1800s. In my experience, the whole "slaves built everything" thing is usually way oversimplified. The worker skeletons they found had healed fractures and evidence of a solid diet with meat and fish. Guess that pyramid scheme joke is pretty accurate, our history books were definitely cutting some corners. At least the workers got paid in beer, which is more than I get for some of my gigs.
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Honestly, "pyramid scheme fiction" is a bit much. Yeah, history books definitely oversimplify stuff, but I don't think it's some grand conspiracy to lie to kids. Most textbooks are just working off old research that was already shaky, not actively trying to trick you. And the skeleton thing is interesting, but it's one set of bones from one dig site, not proof the whole pyramid project was a 9-to-5 with benefits.
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