Egyptian pharaohs organized monumental projects through extraordinary control over their subjects.

Evidence

Only power of this order could organize the enormous building projects that these early pharaohs embarked on. Den’s elaborate tomb, with granite shipped from hundreds of miles away, and the later, even grander pyramids were possible only because of the extraordinary control which Egyptian pharaohs could exercise over the minds and the bodies of their subjects. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 212

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 212
• XREF: connects to: The bureaucracy enabled large-scale sculpture projects in ancient Egypt. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 350; Sustaining a 130,000-man army required state power unprecedented in Egyptian history; Egyptian army discipline shifted from brutal force to abstract internalized controls (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• The bureaucracy enabled large-scale sculpture projects in ancient Egypt. #expands (0.75) — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 350
• Egyptian army discipline shifted from brutal force to abstract internalized controls #expands (0.60)
• Conscription transformed the relation between Egyptian government and governed #expands (0.55)