To: HeadOn
what ELSE the Egyptian Pharohs had to do thousands of years ago Nothing much. Just administer the entire civilized world from Addis Ababa to Baghdad, keep the sea peoples at bay, and handle the usual judicial disputes. Then there was the annual Nile Flood, grain stores, diplomats from India and Mexico, and road and school maintenance. On top of that, agriculture, manufacture, and mining need constant regulation. Papyrus and limestone production alone would be enough to occupy the full attention of most. It is well they didn't actually have millions of slaves because slave administration is a thankless task. Pharoah isn't just an honorary title, that one worked hard and died young due to overwork.
has anyone on this thread even been to Egypt? I have.
To: RightWhale
You are right, of course, there was plenty for Pharoh to do...although I'm not completely sold on the Mexican connection...
My point was that things were different then. With all that wealth at his disposal, it would only be natural to be able to command huge projects. Servants/slaves worked or were killed. If Pharoh wanted it done - it got done, even if he commanded a sand pit be dug one shovel full at a time, with each shovel of sand carried in a little pink basket. And there were no conflicts in schedule for those tasked to get it done. They truly had nothing else to do - or, more correctly, were not allowed to do anything else.
We are a microwave society with little, if any, long term vision. Would you not agree, that in the time of ancient Egypt, it was much more common to devote individual lives or entire segments of populations to accomplishing tasks - even if a man's task were to cut and gather papyrus reeds from sunup until sundown, 7 days a week, from the time he was born until he fell over dead?
138 posted on
09/24/2002 7:31:47 AM PDT by
HeadOn
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