As it is today, in ancient times people were also interested in exploring the formula for a long and healthy life. The Greeks and Romans heard incredible stories about people living in distant countries who had long since passed the age of 100.
National.Az reports that the Greek writer Lucian (approximately 120 - 180 AD) notes:
"Indeed, there are very long-lived peoples, such as the Seres [Chinese], said to live for 300 years. Some attribute this long life to the climate, others to the soil, and others to dietary habits; because it is said that this people drank only water. It is said that the people of Aphon lived 130 years, and the Chaldeans lived more than 100 years, preserving their eyesight thanks to barley bread."
The famous physician of antiquity, Galen (129 - 216 AD), personally studied the daily habits of two long-lived persons he knew in Rome:
1. The linguist Telephus (lived approximately 100 years)
According to Galen's notes, Telephus's diet was quite simple:
Morning: Porridge cooked with water and topped with quality honey.
Noon: Vegetables, followed by fish or poultry meat.
Evening: Bread soaked only in wine.
Hygiene: Massaged daily with olive oil, but bathed very rarely (twice a month in winter, four times a month in summer).
2. Physician Antiochus (lived more than 80 years)
Antiochus also preferred simple nutrition and movement:
Morning: Roasted bread with honey.
Noon: Fish coming from deep seas and rocky regions.
Evening: Porridge or poultry meat with a mixture of vinegar and honey (oxymel).
Exercise: Took regular walks every morning.
Galen noted that the most ideal exercise for the elderly is "passive exercises" that do not cause fatigue and massage with oil.
Three main pillars stand out in the lifestyle of the long-lived of antiquity:
Simple Diet: Avoid wild animal meats, give preference to honey, bread, and fresh fish.
Little Eating: Eat only a few grains a day and do not completely fill the stomach.
Constant Movement: Maintain body flexibility through age-appropriate exercises and massage.
As Lucian says in his essay "On Those Who Have Passed the Age of Eighty":
"In every climate and on every soil, people who do appropriate exercise and maintain the most favorable diet for health have become long-lived."