Indeed, there are even whole nations that
are very long-lived, like the Seres, who are said to live
three hundred years: some attribute their old age to
the climate, others to the soil and still others to their
diet, for they say that this entire nation drinks
nothing but water. The people of Athos are also
said to live a hundred and thirty years, and it is
reported that the Chaldeans live more than a
hundred, using barley bread to preserve the sharpness of their eyesight. They say, too, that on
account of this diet their other faculties are more
vigorous than those of the rest of mankind.