In 480 BC when the Persian king Xerxes invaded Greece, he had to cross the Dardanelles, about 1 mile of sea. His engineers used cables to bridge the gap, but a storm then shattered the bridges.

Xerxes not only executed the engineers, he also decided to punish the sea itself, which was duly whipped 300 times and had shackles dropped into it as a mark of enslavement.

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When marching through Syria and beyond, Greek philosopher-soldier Xenophon and his men came across and ate ‘mad honey’ saying, “A small dose produced a condition not unlike violent drunkenness.”

Made by bees foraging a few specific types of rhododendron, the honey contains grayanotoxin which can cause hallucinations. Also, less fun, diarrhoea and seizures. Not recommended for long marches.

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In an early ‘have you got planning permission?’, Tattenai, a Satrap of Syria, investigated the 519BCE rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.

In the Bible he asks “Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?”

Turned out it was authorised by Cyrus the Great himself.

Evidence of Tattenai exists - a tablet from 502bce refers to a servant of "Tattannu, governor of Across The River"

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New episode! Pete takes Ryan to Syria during the time of the Persian empire, to discover ‘The Extra Mile’. Find out why you might have to carry a Roman’s bags. Discover the road network that inspired the US Postal service. And find out what to do when you’re caught behind enemy lines, thousands of miles from home (hint – start walking).

https://medicalaidsyria.com/

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