I think it’s probably a mix. They probably used slaves to move the stones from the mountains to the work sites, and then Egyptian citizens at the actual work sites.
So you have slaves swapping from fields to stone caravans, and citizens staying at the work site. So maybe they’re not “building” the pyramids by actually placing stones and whatnot, but they’re probably doing most of the work by getting the stones to the work site.
I think it’s probably a mix. They probably used slaves to move the stones from the mountains to the work sites, and then Egyptian citizens at the actual work sites.
So you have slaves swapping from fields to stone caravans, and citizens staying at the work site. So maybe they’re not “building” the pyramids by actually placing stones and whatnot, but they’re probably doing most of the work by getting the stones to the work site.