Most scientists dispute these claims, although one of them, C. Edward Burtis, had to admit, after a life-long study, that the age mentioned for Moses was correct. These great ages were partly made possible because of their life style and a special diet which had to be enforced rigidly.

The Sumerians, living in the same area, are another society who left us with a lot of records, this time in the form of baked clay documents. They recorded most of the reigns of the different Kings in the area and when we look at them we find:Dynasty Name No. of Kings Reign Average Rule

Ancient people explained the decrease and increase of the life span in the following terms:

• Time and space are aspects of the material world and therefore human existence is limited.
  
  When you look at the stars you can see what is happening. New worlds get born every day and others die out. Our Earth and our Sun have only a limited period of existence!
  
  This is one of the reasons why Buddha called the material world an illusion. Despite its powerful manifestation, its glamour and its glitter, it is all in vain.
  But there is another reason; the material world has no inside, it is empty and it cannot make one single soul really happy!
  
  The spiritual and mental world is not subject to Time and can therefore exist indefinitely - forever. The more cynical ones of the ancients associated Time with what they would call corruption and as the Destroyer!

• Expansion of consciousness and awareness could reduce the effects of time in the material world and expand the maximum lifespan, a process we call Transcendentalism.

Life extension and caloric restrictions

To these ancient peoples not only the choice and preparation of food was important but also the rejuvenation of the body which was achieved by food restriction. This was later incorporated into all major religions as fasting.

This form of calorie restriction, combined with meditation, would have the same effect as caloric restriction.

The main beneficial aspect of this system was that his period of food restriction was limited to a maximum of six weeks a year instead of being permanent. During this period people were asked to reflect on their way of life, their behaviour towards others, and to meditate and pray. At the end of the fasting period there would be a big celebration with the sharing of food and goods with friends and the poor.

Artificial Rejuvenation

There is a big difference between fasting and the artificial rejuvenation of the body.

When it became clear that the maximum lifespan was decreasing rapidly, people and their rulers started to look for other ways to extend life.

As far as we can tell, the Sumerian kings went to the temple and had to undergo a severe regime of food restriction with no solid foods, only lots of special vegetable juices. To help the king get through this difficult period they used special sedatives, resting him on a bench in the form of a cross in a quiet room without light.

The food restriction would go on until most organs were reduced or nearly gone. The liver for example was reduced to approximately 10% of its normal size. The process was so severe that halfway during his treatment all parasites, such as worms, would leave his body and flee, like rats do before a ship goes down. Needless to say that such a procedure is not without risks and takes a lot of knowledge! For this reason, only royalty and high priests would be treated in this way.

Fasting, and a simple way of living, were the guidelines for the common people and they too could greatly benefit from it.

Every important religion incorporated these guidelines for the benefit of their followers.

In modern times there is a big difference. People now are stimulated to consume, consume and consume….the more the better! At least that is what the big corporations try to get us to believe.