Ptolemaic Almagest

[Preety_India]

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Edited February 6, 2021 by Preety_India

[Preety_India]

The Stoics are saying there are no good or bad events, there’s only perception. Shakespeare encapsulated it well when he said, “Nothing either good nor bad but thinking makes it so.” Shakespeare and the Stoics are saying that the world around us is indifferent, it is objective. The Stoics are saying, “This happened to me,” is not the same as, “This happened to me and that’s bad.” They’re saying if you stop at the first part, you will be much more resilient and much more able to make some good out of anything that happens.

 

[Preety_India]

This journal is fictional. 

It's not based on actual facts. 

 

No information in this journal is in any way connected to reality or real life 

 

All historic facts mentioned in this journal are fictional and to not be taken seriously. 

It's fiction writing using ancient themes 

 

 

[Preety_India]

All animal and plant life began with a camel thorn tree. 

These trees were the oldest trees on earth. 

 

[Preety_India]

It was a wealth of beauty, never seen before. 

Enchanting. 

Wise. 

The queen and the king sat on the throne as they enjoyed the sight of their hunting exploits. 

Deer, lamb, rabbits, just about anything they could hunt 

The food was lavish. 

 

[Preety_India]

Everyday was a feast day. 

 

Each summer, starting in July, the river rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ptolemia it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average. If it rose 2.5 metres (8 feet) higher or lower, disaster struck. When it rose too high, villages were flooded, causing extensive damage and loss of life. When it did not rise high enough, the fields did not receive sufficient nutrients and moisture to support the crops, which resulted in famine.

 

Under normal conditions, the flood plains supported a rich variety of plants and animals that provided food for the ancient Ptolemians. The vast majority of the people were involved in farming. When the flood waters began to recede in mid-September, farmers blocked canals to retain the water for irrigation. Still used today, the ptolemaic device 1 is a mechanical irrigation device used to conduct water from the canals to the fields. One person can operate it by swinging the bucket of water from the canal to the field.

Livestock was important to the Ptolemaic economy, supplying meat, milk, hides, and dung for cooking fuel. Draft animals such as oxen increased agricultural productivity. Herdsmen and shepherds lived a semi-nomadic life, pasturing their animals in the marshes of the nearby  river 

Breaking the ground with plough and hoe.

Reaping. Scattering the seed.

Separating the grain from the chaff.

 

Although the land was worked by the peasants, it was owned by the king, his officials and the temples. Farmers had to meet grain quotas, which were handed over to the owners as a form of taxation. They were allowed to keep a portion of the crops for their own benefit. If they did not produce the quantity expected, however, they were severely punished.

 

Food staples

The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to make beer and bread, the main staples of the Ptolemaic diet. Grains were harvested and stored in granaries until ready to be processed. The quantities harvested each season far exceeded the needs of the country, so much was exported to neighbouring countries, providing a rich source of income for the Ptolemaic treasury.

 

 Slab for grinding grain. Bread.

 Fig gatherers.

A large variety of vegetables were grown, including onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes, and honey was produced for sweetening desserts. The Ptolemaic diet was supplemented by fish, fowl and meat, although peasants probably enjoyed meat only on special occasions. Domesticated animals raised for food included pigs, sheep and goats. Grapes were processed into wine for the noble class, but beer was the favourite drink of the common people. Food was served in pottery bowls, beautiful jugs and vases and platters. 

 

Hunting and fishing

Kings and  nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling expeditions, a means of recreation that had ritualistic and religious significance. Rabbits, deer, gazelles, bulls, oryx, antelopes, hippopotamuses, elephants and lions were among the wild animals hunted for their meat and skins.

 

Fishing allowed the working class to add variety to its diet. The poor substituted fish for meat, which they could not afford. The river, the marshes of the delta and Right Sea offered them a rich variety of species. Fishing methods included the use of a hook and line, harpoons, traps and nets. Birds, including geese and ducks, were also hunted in the marshes and papyrus thickets along the river. Small fishing boats were made from papyrus reeds, which are naturally filled with air pockets, making them particularly buoyant. They were also used in the marshes. 

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by Preety_India

[Preety_India]

Such was the beauty and the glory of the Ptolemaic kingdom. 

 

[Preety_India]

There was wine, music, dance and entertainment every meaning. 

Animals participated as well. They were tamed animals.

The picture says it all. It was an island of splendor. 

 

[Preety_India]

The decoration was marvelous. Beautiful shiny marble floors. 

Huge vases adorning entries and stairs. Railings covered in garlands and creepers. 

Cases of beer on the floor to the side 

Velveteen cloth and draperies covered the upper part of the tent

Musical instruments like the harp strategically placed near fountains where the artists and musicians would often sit and play beautiful music. 

The kings and queens enjoyed their seats underneath the canopy like tents 

Dancers danced like little giddy mermaids and singers sang in the background to the tune of the music played on the harp.

And during the festivities, a parade of peasants bringing in jars and baskets of food, wine and savories. 

The light from the Tiki torches illuminated the walls against the night sky.