The exact identity of silphium is unclear. Here is a brief history of the plant and its modern substitutes. Areas with Silphium perfoliatum. A. London: “Next to these, laserpitium claims our notice, a very re- markable plant, known to the Greeks by the name of ‘silphion,’ and originally a native of the province of Cyrenaica. ABOVE: Photograph from Wikimedia Commons of a Roman marble bust of the emperor Nero on display in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. It was like digging an oak sapling. Silphium was just one of the many herbs used by Roman cooks and appears in dozens of recipes, but has gone extinct. Silphium grew only in the region of eastern Libya known as Cyrenaica, and “Cyrenian silphium” was widely popular in Greece and Rome from the sixth century bc to the first century of our era, when it was believed to have become extinct. sylfion. Again, this passage is fairly typical of classical Greek texts dealing with silphium; whenever silphium is mentioned, it is in a culinary context. No, Transgender People Are Not a Sign of Cultural Collapse, No, History Doesn’t Need to be “Mathematized”. The still-living plant species Ferula tingitanahas been suggested as another possibility. ABOVE: Photograph of a Kyrenaic gold coin dated to betwee. Notably, asafoetida is thought to be in the same genus as silphium, a North African plant now believed to be extinct, and was used as a cheaper substitute for that historically important herb from classical antiquity. [1][2] It also was used as a contraceptive by ancient Greeks and Romans. Which plant species silphium was is unclear. Unlike the authors of the articles linked above, John Riddle does cite a few studies on rats as evidence for silphium’s effectiveness in his book Eve’s Herbs (specifically on page 46). Where Does the Idea of a “Saint” Come From? ABOVE: Photograph from Wikimedia Commons of Ferula communis, a kind of giant fennel plant native to North Africa, which is either silphium itself or a very closely related plant, ABOVE: Photograph from Wikimedia Commons of Ferula tingitana, another kind of giant fennel plant native to North Africa, which is either silphium itself or a very closely related plant. Riddle interprets the left arm of the woman on the coin as gesturing suggestively towards her genital region and he claims that this is a clever hint at what silphium was primarily used for. Type: noun; a plant, thought to be extinct, used in ancient Greece and Rome in cooking and as a contraceptive. Theophrastus mentioned Silphium as having thick roots covered in black bark, about 48 centimeters long, or one cubit, with a hollow stalk, similar to fennel, and golden leaves, like celery. Many species have rough leaves that may be opposite each other, alternate along the stem, or be grouped in whorls. Die Gattung Silphium wurde 1753 von Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum auf Seite 919 veröffentlicht. The valuable product was the plant's resin (laser, laserpicium, or lasarpicium). View all posts by Spencer Alexander McDaniel, It’s oddly satisfying to see the debunking of myths which I’d never heard of. Unfortunately, there are plants with medicinal properties that have gone extinct. None of the articles I have linked above cite any studies to support their claims about silphium being the “most effective” contraceptive ever, which should immediately raise a few red flags to anyone paying attention. The overall scholarly consensus is that it is far more likely that the Kyrenaic coins in question merely depict the nymph Kyrene, who served as the patron deity of the city of Kyrene, looking after the city’s most famous crop. Back in 1919, a botanist by the name of Anselmo Windhausen noticed that local farmers from Patagonia, Argentina were collecting some never before seen petrified cones. In any case, it was so sought after that by the 1 st century BC, Silphium went extinct. These articles often stretch the evidence even further than Riddle’s actual works do. The exact identity of silphium is unclear. While these studies may be evidence that silphium may have had some genuine contraceptive properties, they are hardly evidence that silphium was consistently effective. There are those, however, who believe that it isn’t extinct, but merely misidentified. It also was used as a contraceptive by ancient Greeks and Romans. For the modern genus of plants, see, J.L. Theophrastus wrote in Enquiry into Plants that the type of ferula specifically referred to as "silphium" was odd in that it could not be cultivated. It is generally considered to belong to the genus Ferula, probably as an extinct species (although the currently extant plants Margotia gummifera [pt],[5] Ferula tingitana, Ferula narthex, and Thapsia garganica have historically been suggested as possible identities). [14] This could suggest the plant is similarly sensitive to soil chemistry as huckleberries are, which when grown from seed are devoid of fruit. For instance, the surviving ancient Roman cookbook De Re Coquinaria, which is believed to have been compiled in around the late fourth or early fifth century AD, states that silphium is best served with boiled melon. For instance, John Riddle cites the fact that Kyrenaic coins often depict a seated woman gesturing to a silphium plant as evidence that silphium was primarily known as a contraceptive. If you actually look at images of coins of the type Riddle is referencing, the hand that Riddle interprets as gesturing suggestively towards the woman’s genital region looks more like it is simply resting on the woman’s lap. The plant may also have functioned as a contraceptive and abortifacient. Chances are, many of my readers have seen articles on the internet about how, supposedly, in ancient times there was a kind of giant fennel plant called silphium that was grown in North Africa in the region around the Greek city of Kyrene that was a highly effective contraceptive, perhaps even the most effective one of all time. It is commonly believed to be a now-extinct plant of the genus Ferula, perhaps a variety of "giant fennel." In many of the European regions, coins containing this plant were discovered, indicating that it was an important plant. In fact, I am not entirely sure that silphium ever really went extinct at all. Plochy so silfiou prerastenou (Silphium perfoliatum) tall North American perennial herbs. Silphium is now extinct. Retelling Obscure Stories from the Distant Past. [12] The climate of the Maghreb has been drying over the millennia, and desertification may also have been a factor. ), ABOVE: Photograph of a medieval manuscript copy dating to c. 900 AD of the ancient Roman cookbook De Re Coquinaria, which was originally compiled in around the late fourth or early fifth century AD, Oh yeah, about that coin everyone keeps referencing. the Greeks of Kyrene] used to feed the cattle there upon it; at first it purged them, but afterwards they would grow fat, the flesh being improved in flavour in a most surprising degree. Silphium ( ) stemming the still-living plant species is silphium extinct tingitanahas been suggested as another possibility my farm they... Be grouped in whorls amidst a variety of other culinary delicacies that he is eating his! 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