[RightWhale]

A logistical nightmare for sure. Both running the Empire and building the Great Pyramid. But some people like problems like this. I'm sure that we could build another Great Pyramid now if we wanted to, with or without power assist. Probably in less time, to greater precision, and with fewer than 20,000 slaves. Paying minimum wage to so many for 30 years would take an act of Congress. $12 billion or so. Like building the ISS.

[discostu]

McDonald's could do it, nationally they employ a lot more than 20,000 people, most earning minimum wage. Actually when you compare it to things like The Empire State Building, The World Trade Center, and even the transcontinental railroad, Giza looses some of it's luster, those were all built at astronomical rates with fewer people. And the technology really isn't what allowed these things to go up so fast (when you get right down to it building is still building and technology hasn't altered what's done very much, it's altered the materials used a lot, but not how you move them around and put them together), they were built fast because people sat down and figured out the logistical problems and came up with truly innovative solutions that allowed maximum efficiency. Using modern techniques I think we could do it in 5 or 6 years using only a couple thousand total workers.