Young people of the Ancient World

My first question of the New Year! Ripley wanted to know why the Rulers of Egypt are so young. Actually, everyone in the ancient world were younger, on average, than they are now. People did not have knowledge about things like nutrition, medicine, and other things that affect health. People did not have access to as many different kinds of foods filled with vitamins and minerals that have helped us raise the average life span. People of the ancient world usually lived to around 30-40 years old. As a result people were considered adults by 12-14 yeas of age, adults by 20 and old men or women by 40. King Tut was king of Egypt by age 8!!!

     Today, however, people live to about 72-74 years of age on average. Although, for the first time in history, our life spans may start going down as a result of childhood obesity and the next generations sitting around so much in front of TVs, computers, and video game consoles.

So the next time your Mom or Dad tells you to go outside and play, or eat your vegetables, remember, they’re not just doing it to be mean, it is to make sure you live long healthy lives. People back then did not know how important it was to be active and eat lots of vitamins and minerals and they paid the price with shorter lives. Eat healthy and be active, and you’ll live a long and happy life!!!