MYOB

Clearly, in ancient times flies were a nuisance that had to be swatted or fanned away from the leisured upper-class diners and their food. Such scenes are repeatedly depicted on the excavated Mesopotamian bas-reliefs and seals. Interestingly, the fans we see in these artifacts are identical with present-day hand-woven fans, made from date-palm fronds. A fly-free place was welcomed by all. In an ancient Sumerian poem, a fisherman tries to lure a fish to his bait by telling it he has built a house for it, where ‘no flies swarm about the liquor bar’ (Kramer, History Begins at Sumer).