The plant that was worth more than gold

 The enigmatic silphium and its mysterious existence 

  The world around us today is very different from the one our ancestors knew, the landscapes, the climate and everything are very different as the ancient generations saw it and it is even too different as it was in very remote times, and proof of this is the current biodiversity.

And it is no wonder since the species that currently inhabit the earth are very different from those that lived thousands of years ago with our ancestors, being a mystery to this day the species that previously roamed our planet and that we have not managed to discover beyond stories or ancient art, as an example a mysterious plant, which today is synonymous with legend: the silphium, the emblem of our project, accompany me to analyze this.

Sylphium, known in Greek as Σίλφιον, is a mysterious plant, which was mentioned in much of the ancient world, being a crop an extremely precious species and important in prehistory, as demonstrated by the Egyptians, Knossos and the Minoans, developing a special glyph, where they represented the silphium plant, although its greatest fame and use would come with the Greeks and Romans, being mentioned by Greco-Roman writers such as Pausanias or Hipócrates 

Everyday uses

   Many medicinal uses were attributed to the plant, it was said that it could be used to cure coughs, sore throats, fever, indigestion, pain, warts and all kinds of ailments, so it can also be used as a natural contraceptive, and not only that, it also had culinary uses, Since it was used in Greco-Roman cuisine, mainly in recipes based on meat and spices aimed at the upper class and nobility.

Long after its disappearance, silphium continued to appear in aromatic catalogs, copied from each other, until it made perhaps its last appearance in the list of spices that the Carolingian cook suggested, written by one "Vinidarius", whose quotations from Apicius, survive in a large manuscript of the 8th century, the dates of Vinidarius cannot be much older than these, in fact it is curious that it is mentioned that the last known strain of the sylph found in Cyrenaica was given to Emperor Nero as a gift.

An extra and very controversial point is that it is very likely that the plant was pharmacologically active in preventing or terminating pregnancy, due to some coincidences it has with other families such as wild carrots or parsley.

Symbolism and importance.

   This plant had a strong symbolism for the Greco-Romans, the silver coins of Cyrene from the 6th and 5th centuries B.C have a heart-like design, sometimes accompanied by a silphion plant, this is believed to represent their seed or oblong seed coat, So there has been some reflection on the connection between the sylph and the heart shape we know today.

In addition, contemporary writings also help connect the sylph with sexuality and human love, not to mention her appearance on shields and heraldic recordings.

Extinction and controversy.

  The plant grew along a narrow coastal area, about 200 by 55 km, in Cyrenaica, (in present-day Libya), the identity of the sylph is the subject of extensive debate today, generally It was thought to belong to the genus Ferula, possibly as an extinct species, although this has since been discarded in favor of perhaps being one of the modern species, although because we cannot yet accurately identify the plant, we cannot know for sure if it is extinct.

Much of the speculation about the causes of its disappearance is based on a sudden increase in demand for animals that grazed the plant, for some supposed effect on the quality of the meat, its excessive consumption by livestock and humans, Combined with overexploitation to satisfy large commercial demand, it may have caused its disappearance due to overdemand in the 3rd or 2nd century BC, Although it is believed that the Maghreb's climate has been drying over the millennia and its desertification, it may also have been a factor, Another theory is that when Roman provincial governors replaced Greek settlers, they overcultivated silphion and weakened the soil for production.

Not long ago, a researcher at Istanbul University also believed that the Drudean ferula that grows on Mount Hasan in Turkey is the elusive ancient plant, but due to thousands of factors it was never verified, but anyway, the silphium is an example of how an everyday species for an ancient culture can be a mystery for modern humanity, this plant being the symbol of a mysterious species, lost in the sands of time and one of my inspirations for this project, Although it is small, I have faith that it will help preserve these memories.

[Reading links]

https://el.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A3%CE%AF%CE%BB%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%BF%CE%BD

https://www.google.com/amp/s/noticiasdelmundo.news/la-planta-milagrosa-utilizada-por-los-antiguos-griegos-se-redescubre-despues-de-que-se-pensaba-que-se-habia-extinguido/%3famp