Heliopolis (ancient Egypt) from him the true length of the year and month, upon which he formed his octaeterid, or period of 8 years or 99 months. Ptolemy II had Manetho, the chief priest of Heliopolis, collect his history of the ancient kings of Egypt from its archives. The later Ptolemies probably took little interest in their "father" Ra, and Alexandria had eclipsed the learning of Heliopolis; thus with the withdrawal of royal favour Heliopolis quickly dwindled, and the students of native lore deserted it for other temples supported by a wealthy population of pious citizens. By the 1st century BC, in fact,
Economy of ancient Tamil country 2381 known poems, with a total of over 50000 lines, written by 473 poets. Each poem belongs to one of two types: "Akam" (inside) and "Puram" (outside). The "akam" poems deal with inner human emotions such as love, while the "puram" poems deal with outer experiences such as society, culture and warfare. These poems contain descriptions of various aspects of life in the ancient Tamil country. The "Maduraikkanci" by Mankudi Maruthanaar and the "Netunalvatai" by Nakkirar contain a detailed description of the Pandyan capital Madurai, the king's palace and the rule of Nedunj Cheliyan, the victor of the Talaialanganam battle.