• @[email protected]
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    72 years ago

    But… That’s… What a barter society does? Ancient Egypt didn’t have currency, it was a barter-based society. You don’t have a farm or land to grow your own food? You work for someone else to get food, or resources to trade for food, drinks, shelter, medicine etc. They were also given good cuts of meat and had good barracks/quarters to live in nearby villages while working there. Workers who died were even buried in well stocked tombs near the pyramids which was a place of honor, slaves would likely be put in mass graves, unmarked graves, and/or far from the pyramids.

    What were non-slave workers (working on the pyramids or not) in ancient Egypt paid with if working for good food, drink, and shelter is only for slaves? A currency that didn’t exist? The profound pleasure of working for the pharaoh while having a farm of their own at home for food?

    • @[email protected]
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      32 years ago

      Sure. It’s a barter society where one class holds literally all of the power.

      “It’s this deal because I’m a god!” You’re just not gunna argue with a god on earth.

      • defunct_punk
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        62 years ago

        it’s a barter society where one class holds literally all the power

        You’re phrasing these like they’re contradictory statements when they’re not incompatible concepts at all.

          • @[email protected]
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            2 years ago

            Not at all? Yeah one class had most of the political/legal power because they were backed by who everyone believed was the incarnation of their god so it was hard to argue. Do/can you argue with the IRS (or whatever government entity collects taxes for you)? Food/resources/labor were still collected as taxes/tithes to support that class which managed their society, which is basically the same as any society that has currency.

            • @[email protected]
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              22 years ago

              I both can and have argued against the IRS and won. The IRS accepts fact and objective reality, though the idea of pharoh in court trying to prove objectively they are God personified does make me giggle.

    • @[email protected]
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      12 years ago

      They were also given good cuts of meat and had good barracks/quarters to live in nearby villages while working there.

      I’d like to see a source for that.

      Workers who died were even buried in well stocked tombs near the pyramids which was a place of honor

      Man that’s even worse than the bread and beer thing. “You’re not slaves because when you die on the job we bury you in a better hole!”