The second programme in this distinguished series addresses arguably the most debated mystery surrounding the Ancient Egyptians: who built the Pyramids at Giza, and how and why did they do it?
In 500 BC, already two millennia after the Pyramids were constructed, the Greek historian Heroditus recorded that they'd been built by 100,000 slaves - a purported fact that modern guidebooks still publish. This programme reveals startling new evidence to disprove Heroditus' hypothesis.
A miraculous discovery three years ago in a small suburb of Cairo, provided the initial lead that started a team of experts on an arduous and painstaking journey of discovery. A mechanical digger had uncovered a building belonging to a large settlement dating 2500 BC.
A team led by Dr Mark Lehner quickly discovered evidence to suggest that the pyramid builders had populated the settlement. Furthermore, rather than being slaves, Dr Lehner's team discovered that the workers were Egyptian people, living in family groups receiving the best food available and the most advanced medical care of the time.
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