# Who built the Great Pyramid, and how was the work organised? · How the Great Pyramid was built > Four answers have been proposed. A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during… leads, with… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-26T11:57:32+00:00 --- **0** # Who built the Great Pyramid, and how was the work organised? Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·4 answers·0·0 following **Answered: A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during…** Passed its tests and review. ## Where it stands Four answers have been proposed. A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during… leads, with evidence 3 for, 1 against: supported by its tests. Three are still possible. Of the two narrower questions under it, two are answered. ## Why it matters This is the question most asked by the public and the one with the strongest evidence; its answer rules out most alternative readings of the monument⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNFHA1XVA/les-papyrus-de-la-mer-rouge-i-le-journal-de-merer-papyrus)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNH067251/neighborhood-to-national-network-pyramid-settlements-of-giza). ## Answers 4 [**A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMNZD46CKJ/a-rotating-provisioned-egyptian-workforce-of-about-20-000-to) Supported by its tests Evidence: 3 for, 1 against Most likely [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP1V80BAC/none-of-these) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: none yet Disputed [**The pyramid predates Khufu and was reused by him.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP13T23E2/the-pyramid-predates-khufu-and-was-reused-by-him) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 2 against Disputed [**The pyramid was built by slave labour under compulsion, as Herodotus implied.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/answers/ANS0CSMP0M61JC6/the-pyramid-was-built-by-slave-labour-under-compulsion-as) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 1 against Disputed ## History 1. 2001[Bonani et al. puts forward: the pyramid predates Khufu and was reused by him.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNKP45WQJ/radiocarbon-dates-of-old-and-middle-kingdom-monuments-in) 1. 2001[Bonani et al.: mortar radiocarbon dates run only 100 to 200 years older than the historical date, which the authors…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNKP45WQJ/radiocarbon-dates-of-old-and-middle-kingdom-monuments-in)Against: The pyramid predates Khufu and was reused by him. 1. 2002[Lehner: the Heit el-Ghurab settlement has galleries, bakeries and an administrative building with silos.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNGGJ03Y8/the-pyramid-age-settlement-of-the-southern-mount-at-giza)For: A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during… 1. 2004[Hawass puts forward: the pyramid was built by slave labour under compulsion, as Herodotus implied.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNH803WDZ/the-tombs-of-the-pyramid-builders-the-tomb-of-the-artisan) 1. 2004[Hawass: the builders' cemetery holds tombs with overseers' titles and skeletons with treated injuries.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNH803WDZ/the-tombs-of-the-pyramid-builders-the-tomb-of-the-artisan)For: A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during… 1. 2004[Hawass: the workers' cemetery shows formal tombs, titles and healed fractures.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNH803WDZ/the-tombs-of-the-pyramid-builders-the-tomb-of-the-artisan)Against: The pyramid was built by slave labour under compulsion, as Herodotus implied. 1. 2017[Tallet: merer's logbooks record a named crew ferrying Tura limestone to Akhet-Khufu under the vizier Ankhhaf in Year…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNFHA1XVA/les-papyrus-de-la-mer-rouge-i-le-journal-de-merer-papyrus)For: A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during… 1. 2017[Tallet: the Merer papyri describe stone deliveries to the pyramid in Khufu's Year 26.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNFHA1XVA/les-papyrus-de-la-mer-rouge-i-le-journal-de-merer-papyrus)Against: The pyramid predates Khufu and was reused by him. 1. 2019[Lehner puts forward: a rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNH067251/neighborhood-to-national-network-pyramid-settlements-of-giza) 1. 2019[Lehner: the settlement's sealings date it mainly to Khafre and Menkaure; Khufu's own town has not been excavated.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CSMNH067251/neighborhood-to-national-network-pyramid-settlements-of-giza)Against: A rotating, provisioned Egyptian workforce of about 20,000 to 25,000 under royal officials built it during… 1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNV8A4GQV/who-built-the-great-pyramid-and-how-was-the-work-organised%23add-source) Where it fits How the Great Pyramid was built **Who built the Great Pyramid, and how was the work organised?** Key question · you're here [How did the stone reach the plateau?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNVQY7M8Q/how-did-the-stone-reach-the-plateau)Answered · Boats brought Tura limestone and Aswan granite along a Nile branch and canals to a harbour at the foot of the… [When exactly was it built, and how long did it take?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid/questions/QST0CSMNVZR2ZYC/when-exactly-was-it-built-and-how-long-did-it-take)Answered · Built within Khufu's reign of about 26 years or more, in the 26th century BC. 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