Firefoxx336

As a beekeeper, and someone who wrote an extensive dossier on beekeeping in ancient Rome, I'm wondering if you're aware that bees and honey were both used as weapons by the Romans. In naval combat beehives were catapulted onto other ships forcing the soldiers to take to the water--and they're credited for deciding that battle. In another quite literal honeypot, one army left a cache of rhododendron honey (which will royally fuck you up for days/kill you) on a mountain pass and when it was raided by their enemies they walked in and accepted their surrender.

Edit: Rhododendron, not hibiscus! Hibiscus is delicious! Also, if you guys have other questions about the subject, I know a fair bit, so ask away. The culture surrounding beekeeping in ancient Rome is totally fascinating--but so is beekeeping nowadays.

"I knew for myself traditional education was not for me."

It almost reads as satire at this point.

Actually, I screwed up the plant because I'm tired and I've been surrounded by hibiscus things here in Cairo. It's actually rhododendron honey and wikipedia explains it thusly: There have been famous episodes of inebriation of humans from consuming toxic honey throughout history. For example, honey produced from nectar of Rhododendron ponticum (also known as Azalea pontica) contains alkaloids that are poisonous to humans but do not harm bees.[34] Xenophon, Aristotle, Strabo, Pliny the Elder, and Columella all document the results of eating this "maddening" honey.[35] Honey from these plants poisoned Roman troops in the first century BC under Pompey the Great when they were attacking the Heptakometes in Turkey. The soldiers were delirious and vomiting after eating the toxic honey. The Romans were easily defeated.[36][37]

How much do you estimate this trip will cost? I’ve thought about doing similar.

Well said. Do you have any recommendations for folks looking to unplug from the author’s angle on life and step more into the perspective you’ve described? In particular I’d be interested in any introductory reading. Thanks!

Edit: Others please feel free to contribute as well