In the palace of the Persian monarch Alexander read a bill of fare for the king’s dinner and supper that was engraved on a column of brass: on which were also other regulations, which Cyrus had directed. It ran thus:
Of fine wheat flour four hundred artabae (a Median artaba is an Attic bushel). Of second-rate flour three hundred artabae, and of third-rate flour the same: in the whole one thousand artabae of wheat flour for supper. Of the finest barley flour two hundred artabae, of the second-rate four hundred, and four hundred of the third-rate: in all one thousand artabae of barley flour. Of oatmeal two hundred artabae. Of paste mixed for pastry of different kinds ten artabae. Of cardamom (cress) chopped small, and finely sifted, and formed into a kind of ptisan (treated barley?), ten artabae. Of mustard-seed the third of an artabae. Male sheep four hundred. Oxen a hundred. Horses thirty. Fat geese four hundred. Three hundred turtle-doves. Small birds of different kinds six hundred. Lambs three hundred. Goslings, a hundred. Thirty gazelles. Of fresh milk, ten marises. Of sour milk sweetened with whey, ten marises. Of garlic, a talent’s worth. Of strong onions half a talent’s worth. Of knot grass an artaba. Of the juice of benzoin (silphium juice?) two minae. Of cumin, an artaba. Of benzoin a talent worth. Of rich cider the fourth of an artaba. Of millet seed three talents’ worth.
Of anise flowers three minae. Of coriander seed the third of an artaba. Of melon seed two capises. Of parsnips ten artabae. Of sweet wine five marises. . . . Of pickled capers five marises. Of salt ten artabae. Of Ethiopian cumin six capises. . . . Of dried anise thirty minae. Of parsley feed four capises. Oil of sesame ten marises. Cream five marises. Oil of cinnamon five marises. Oil of acanthus five marises. Oil of sweet almonds three marises. Of dried sweet almonds three artabae. Of wine five hundred marises. And if he was at Babylon or Susa, he had one half palm-wine, and the other half grape-wine.
Two hundred load of dry wood, and one hundred load of kindling. Of fluid honey a hundred square cakes, containing the weight of about ten minae.
When he was in Media he doled out the following:
Of false-saffron (seed) three artabae: of saffron two minae. This was for drink and dinner.
He also distributed in largesse five hundred artabae of fine wheat flour. Of fine barely flour a thousand artabae: and of other kinds of flour a thousand artabae. Of rice five hundred artabae. Of corn five hundred marises. Of corn for the horses twenty thousand artabae. Of straw ten thousand load; five thousand wagon loads. Of oil of sesame two hundred marises. Of vinegar a hundred marises. Of cardamom cresses chopped small thirty artabae.
All that is here enumerated was distributed to the soldiers; this is what the king consumes in a day: his lunch, dinner and in largess.
World History
