It seems likely that the Pyramids of Giza were not built by slaves but by paid laborers motivated by a faith in the divinity and immortality of their kings.  Exactly how the pyramids were built is unclear.  It is likely that a sloping embankment was built up to or around the pyramid.  The huge blocks would then have been hauled on sledges with the aid of rollers, papyrus ropes and levers.  Although most stone was quarried locally at Giza, some had to be transported to the site along the Nile.