An Air Of Mystery

I recently read that over 130 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt.  That’s an amazing number, particularly when one considers the amount of human labor required to construct one.

The number of people required to build a pyramid is a matter of some debate.  While there is no argument that it required a lot of manpower, exact estimates range from highs approaching half a million to as few as a couple thousand.   Some of the differences in estimates are based on the composition of the pyramids.  The discovery of pyramids that were built over a core large natural rock foundation led to speculation that this would have reduced the amount of time and workers. As a child, I learned that most of the work was done by slaves, but some disagree, saying that the bulk of the work must have been accomplished by skilled craftsman.  In other words, we really don’t know.

There are many other things that are unknown about the pyramids.  While we know that many types of wealth accompanied those interred within, much will never be accounted for.   Some has been lost to robbers who have seized the opportunity for riches and it is quite likely that some will never be discovered.   Even the identities of some of the buried are open to question.

If I had enough health and money to make the trip, I would love to take a family vacation and travel to Egypt.    I don’t think we’d come back with any definitive answers to these questions and I wouldn’t really want to.     One of the main attractions of the pyramids is the air of mystery that surrounds them.