From what I understand, there were not just "large camp sites" near the pyramids; there was a fairly good-size town there. Meaning there was an extended period of settled habitation in the area. I gather the burial site of a chief logistical officer -- a kind of "quartermaster" -- has recently been found, with exhaustive records regarding food, supplies, etc., etc. So we know there were thousands of people living at the site over a long time period in what was pretty much a permanent settlement.
But the question remains: What, exactly, were they doing there? Were they out there raising and rolling stones (some of which have been reported to weigh in at upwards of 15 to 20 tons) along a steep incline UP the pyramid, placed on logs and pulled along by a vast team of humans.
Now, can we estimate how many humans it would take to do this? -- to raise the 15+-ton stone, put it on log rollers, and drag it uphill until it could be set in its desired position? Plus we don't really know how the stones were brought to the site (floated on barges down the Nile seems a tad unrealistic, given the weight of these stones), or where the timbers came from.
I have read that even our currently-available, state-of-the-art, high-tech lifting devices (cranes) would not be able to accomplish all this, today.
Now, if indeed the construction method explained to us by the archeologists is, in fact, an impossibility, then what were all those people doing there? Clearly, as you note, this was some kind of work site. But what was the nature of the work?
Here's a what-if: What if the pyramids were already there, and were merely being refurbished to make them fit to receive the immortal soul of the pharoah? Just refitting marble facing stones all over the pyramid surfaces would have taken decades to accomplish. Plus perhaps the inner chambers would have needed to be refurbished to make the pharoah's final earthly resting place suitable to his needs. The Egyptians would have wanted a very secure location, beyond the reach of looters, for his mortal remains, plus all the royal accoutrements and appointments to which he had become accustomed in life -- perhaps including royal barges, furniture, etc., etc. The pyramids would be highly desirable sites for this purpose, from a security standpoint.
Anyhoot, that could explain what the Egyptians were doing there, in conformance with the evidence we have; but NOT how the pyramids got built in the first place.
I'd say: We still don't know that. It remains a great, enduring mystery....
General, you wrote: "Can we know whether it was possible for them to have built it in the way I hypothesize?" To which I would reply: YES. The hypothesis is -- as far as I can tell, based on the above -- incorrect.
So, we have the archaeologists who think they've discovered the method by which the pyramids were constructed, but the suggestion is that this impossible to do with the technology and manpower of the time. But is it?
For that, we need more evidence. Perhaps we might want to consult professional civil engineers for their expert opinions on whether the methods described by the archaeologists are at all feasible. Fortunately for us, professional civil engineers have rendered their expert opinions, as described in this article from the June '99 issue of "Civil Engineering" magazine. Given their expertise in this area, I am sure you will forgive me if I am prepared to assign a somewhat greater weight to their opinions than others ;)
Medved was fond of quoting the Army Corps Of Engineers to the effect that they couldn't move such stones. I think the quote was from World War I.
I searched through my archives and found an exchange in which I provided Medved with the following link.
From the link:
With a maximum lifting capacity of 1600t and 22m radius, the Demag CC 12600 is the world's most powerful crawler crane with pick-and-carry capability. The 114m main boom can be combined with a 120m luffing or fixed jib to give a maximum hook height of 234 m! All the crane components have been optimised for effective transport logistics and can be easily assembled and dismantled.
The capacity stated (1600t) is 1600 TONS! Such a load can be picked up, moved, and raised to 234 meters. So, yes, handling these stones would be easy with today's technology...