Abstract
The pursuit of wealth has been a basic occupation of humans; as it turns out, wealth increases life expectancy. Analyzing global data, we show that money, probably connected with medical care, increase life expectancy. However, the base of real wealth is access to the Water–Energy–Food nexus, and the access to this also increases life expectancy. The first objective of this study was to compare the present values of wealth with antiquity, and we showed that about 1.4 billion people live in the present under the average lower wages of antiquity. As a case study, we analyze the construction of the Hadrianic aqueduct. We present a detailed description of the construction and the used methods, and we identify the total requirement of labor–time. Then, we investigate the wages of various occupations in the first century AD. The second objective of this study was the estimation of the total cost of daily wages for the construction of the project and the effect of the aqueduct on Athenians’ quality of life. Finally, we show that, today, about two billion people live with less available water than Athenians had with the Hadrianic aqueduct in the second century A.D.
Reference144 articles.
1. Holy Bible, New Testamenthttp://apostoliki-diakonia.gr/bible/bible.asp?contents=new_testament/contents.asp&main
2. Research Project: Exploration of Hadrian Aqueduct of Athens and Recording of Current State of Specific Underground Parts. Duration: September 2017–April 2019. Project Director: Mamassis, Nhttps://www.itia.ntua.gr/en/projinfo/197/
3. Exploration of Hadrian Aqueduct of Athens and Recording of Current State of Specific Underground Parts;Defteraios,2019
4. The conception of healthcare in Confucianism;Bao;Zhonghua Yi Shi Za Zhi,2003
5. Chinese Confucian culture and the medical ethical tradition.