Biblical history is full of mystery and controversy. One of the longest-lasting controversies between historians, archaeologists and biblical scholars has been the identity of the elite builders that constructed the great pyramids of Giza.
Some traditional Christian thought maintains that enslaved Israelites were forced to build the monuments to the Pharaohs Khufu and Khafre.
New archaeological finds, however, have brought forward significant evidence contradicting this theory.
Movies like The Ten Commandments (1956) popularized the theory that Israelite slaves (or slaves of any kind) built the pyramids, but is this theory supported by the Bible story in Exodus?
The Facts:
Exodus is the second book of the Bible and describes the exodus of the Israelite slaves from Egypt to the land God would show to them in forty chapters. In all of this text, however, there is no mention of the name of the Pharaoh that was oppressing the Israelites.
Because of the lack of historical detail that would help date the exodus, it is impossible to confirm that the Israelites were even in Egypt at the time of the Pyramid's construction.
The first chapter of Exodus says that the Israelites built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. Later chapters mention making bricks from mud and straw, but give no further details as to what they were building for the Egyptians.
The Pharaoh Khufu and his son Khafre, c. 2650 - 2530 B.C, constructed the two main pyramids at Giza. Many date the Exodus to a much later period, somewhere between 1500 and 1100 B.C.
New Discoveries
The archaeological excavations by Dr. Zahi Hawass and his colleagues on the pyramid complex have revealed evidence identifying the builders of the Pyramids at Giza.
According to Dr. Hawass's website and blog, he discovered the tombs of the pyramid builders originally in 1990. His most recent find is a group of tombs on the northern edge of the cemetery at the edge of the plateau. Three large overseers tombs were uncovered, with pottery dating to the 4th dynasty and a stela (tombstone) inscribed with the name Idu.
The proximity of these tombs to the pyramids led Dr. Hawass to believe that they could be the first tombs built, possibly during the reign of Khufu. Their nearness to the pyramids also told Dr. Hawass that the builders of the pyramids must have been Egyptian, as slaves would never have been buried so near the sacred pyramid tombs of the Pharaohs.
All of the archaeological evidence available today suggests that the pyramids were build by skilled Egyptian workers, not by the Israelite slaves whose oppression is revealed in the book of Exodus.
The Implications of this Discovery for Biblical History
While this discovery may be disappointing to those who believe that the Israelites built the pyramids, it actually does nothing to contradict the story of Israelite slavery and oppression found in Exodus. The Exodus of the Bible cannot be definitively dated, but most estimates place these events almost one thousand years after the pyramids were built.
Proof that Israelite slaves built the Pyramids of Giza would have been a victory for Biblical Scholars. Instead, believers must wait for evidence, such as the positive identification of the two cities mentioned in the opening chapter, or the name of the Pharaoh referenced in the book.
Author: Sarah Strange | Source: Associated Content [September 17, 2010]