The pharaoh was the absolute ruler of ancient Egypt, whose territory was then divided into two distinct entities, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. For the ordinary people, the pharaoh was an intangible person, the earthly son of Ra and the supreme authority in the state. After death, the pharaoh’s body was mummified in a complicated ceremony and then buried in a rich ornamented sarcophagus.

Pharaoh Pepi II ruled 94 years, the longest reigning monarch in human history, which implies that he had a very long life.

One of the ways in which he managed to live so much was the fact that he had always protected himself against flies and other bugs, which, as they do today, transmitted germs of many diseases.

We’re not sure that the expression “you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” goes all the way back to those times, but we’re sure that this Pharaoh certainly understood the concept.

Since at those times there were neither windows nor insecticide nets, the solution was extremely ingenious: slaves were smeared with honey and placed nearby, so flies were attracted to them and effectively remained glued to them.