The Plot on the Pyramid Read Free Page A

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    These men were paid in food, so building a pyramid wouldn’t make them rich. But they were proud to do this service for the king who was their god. They believed their king-god made the River Nile flood. This flood each year made sure their crops grew.
    While the fields were flooded they were free to work on the pyramids. It seems some of the king’s officers treated the workers badly. They treated them like slaves and the proud peasants didn’t like that. In 1170 B.C. the workers organized what was the first ever strike.
    The workers marched together into the temple, refusing to work. They complained about a lack of food and drink, clothing and medicine. A scribe wrote down their complaints. Their message finally reached the Pharaoh, who arranged for the men to be paid with corn. Strikes of this kind happened again during the reign of Ramses III and even later pharaohs.
    There were many accidents on these dangerous building sites. Some might have been deliberate. “Oooops! Sorry I dropped that 20 ton block on your head, boss!”