Egyptian Pharaoh Pepy II despised flies so much that he reportedly kept several naked slaves completely slathered in honey standing near him at all times.

A closer look

Egyptian Pharaoh Pepy II despised flies so much that he reportedly kept several naked slaves completely slathered in honey standing near him at all times. Ruling during the Sixth Dynasty, this incredibly entitled monarch figured the best way to deal with pesky insects was to turn his servants into human fly traps, ensuring the bugs would feast on them instead of bothering his royal skin. It is a stunning display of ancient vanity that perfectly encapsulates the terrifying perks of being viewed as a living god on earth by a society that has not yet invented insect repellent. While modern billionaires might buy massive superyachts or shoot themselves into space to avoid interacting with the lower classes, Pepy II was out there using sticky, miserable peasants as organic bug zappers, setting an impossibly high standard for narcissistic, tyrannical workplace environments that even today's worst middle managers could only dream of