Alexander The Great planned Alexandria’s layout in 331 BCE. His architects marked the streets with barley flour due to a lack of chalk or other materials. Alexander himself, excited at his vision for the greatest city in Northern Egypt (and perhaps the world,) even marked out some of the lanes, markets, and roads. However, a massive flock of birds descended and ate the barley, erasing the lines.
The greatest king that the world has ever known, dear reader, could not harness the omnipotent spirit of Mother Nature.
Perhaps the panacea of forging out great kingdoms is the idea to leave the grain to the fields and the muses of conquest to the spirit. Does the bulwark of defeat simply lie in marching with chalk and paint?
-gabe
