Just like in the modern world, people in ancient times wanted to know how to live a long and healthy life. Greeks and Romans heard fantastic tales of faraway peoples living well beyond 100. Greek essayist Lucian (about 120–180 CE) writes : "Indeed, there are even whole nations that are very long-lived, like the Seres [Chinese], who are said to live 300 years: Some attribute their old age to the climate, others to the soil, and still others to their diet, for they say that this entire nation