Land of the Pharaohs

The Ten Commandments

Historical Setting: Ancient Egypt

Important Note: I have never seen these movies, so they are not done in full detail

• Movies like these serve to further the myth that the Pyramids and every other Egyptian construction project were made by thousands of slaves. They were really made by conscripts from the small villages along the Nile River. Coming from poor villages, they were given better food and medical care in the employment of the Pharaoh then they would have received back home. For most workers, they were only required to work one season. Men with specialized knowledge in building and repairing tools might have worked longer. They were organized in work groups, and were quite competitive with each other. Some of them left graffiti markings of the name of their work groups on stones which are now part of the pyramid.

Sources:

Great Pyramid: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/great_pyramid_01.shtml

Jackson, Kevin and Jonathan Stamp. Building the Great Pyramid. Canada: Firefly Books, 2003.