Ornate statuettes found in the tombs prove the workers were treated with respect.

Everyone has heard of the great Egyptian pyramids at Giza, long thought to be magnificent monuments built to ensure the eternal life and immortal fame of the Pharos buried within them. But who built these wonders of the world that dot the Egyptian desert? The question has long been up for debate among Egyptologists.

In "The Real Pyramid Builders," an archeological dig on the Giza Plateau finally reveals the answer. A graveyard for the pyramid builders proves the laborers were not slaves, but rather workers and artisans valued for their skills. Dr. Zahi Hawass explains the discoveries that shed this new light on ancient Egyptian culture.

For Egyptian archeologists, these tombs are rewriting their country's history.

Small tombs, like mini-pyramids are believed to belong to the common worker. They included coffins built from costly imported sycamore wood, and jars of beer to quench thirst in the afterlife. A foreman warranted an elaborate, multi-chambered tomb, with carved inscriptions. The clay model of a woman grinding grain is to provide food after death. Clearly the pyramid builders were treated in death with as much respect as the kings they built the pyramids for. As Hawass notes, these tombs tell us about the lives and deaths of ancient Egypt's ordinary people- priceless discovery.