This idea of people as heroes or villains strikes me as being myopic. The very idea that people can be either good or bad shows that we're all just mushrooms growing out of a much larger mycelium.
Ever notice that so many of the most popular American tourist destinations are places like machu picchu, the great wall of china, the pyramids, etc? The fact that these places exist says far less about their creators than it does about the societies that produced them. (Although perhaps the fact that Americans are obsessed with the monuments of slavery and fascism says something about us.)
I always thought that was a terrible argument. So they weren't slaves like blacks in the US south, but they could have still been slaves.
Slaves can have skill, families and pride in their work. Historically some slaves were trusted to go out on their own and do business for their owner, and not run away!
Some slaves became so important to their master than they actually inherited the estate when the master died.
So they may have been high level slaves, but slaves nonetheless.
"So they weren't slaves like blacks in the US south, but they could have still been slaves."
Relationships are complicated, maybe its best not to put labels on things.
In all seriousness though, regardless of what their specific status was, most societies where people are building things like pyramids tend to be pretty messed up.
A slave is someone who does not have permission to chose his own work, and does not have permission to (or is prevented from) quiting. (Note that I said permission, not ability.)
A slave can still be paid.
Based on my definition of slave I believe the pyramids were built by slaves.
What evidence do you have that the pyramid builders did not have permission to quit? Its just as likely that they saw it as a huge honour to work on a pharoah's tomb. c.f. French cathedral builders
High-skill slaves have a strong presence in history. Romans bought Greek slaves for their literacy, and the Ottoman Empire had slaves who managed to work in substantially high-skill intellectual jobs, but were still slaves.
Ever notice that so many of the most popular American tourist destinations are places like machu picchu, the great wall of china, the pyramids, etc? The fact that these places exist says far less about their creators than it does about the societies that produced them. (Although perhaps the fact that Americans are obsessed with the monuments of slavery and fascism says something about us.)