I'm talking about everything from the moment the king started his day until he finally retired for the night. Can you imagine that kind of scrutiny? What an amazing and useful system it was!
Why go to all that trouble? The Letter of Aristeas tells us that the next day, before any new business was conducted, the previous day's record would be read aloud. Think of it as a daily royal debriefing. And if any mistakes or irregularities were found? They were dealt with immediately. Talk about accountability!
So, how do we know all this? The author of the Letter of Aristeas, writing to his brother Philocrates, claims to have gleaned this information directly from the public records. He assures Philocrates that he’s set forth the facts in proper order, knowing how eager his brother is for useful information.