# Silphium, an extinction hypothesis...



## Huaqero (Apr 26, 2021)

I remembered the case of the now-extinct Silphium the other day. Acc. to wiki:
_"Silphium (also known as silphion, laserwort, or laser) was a plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, as an aphrodisiac, or as a medicine. It also was used as a contraceptive by ancient Greeks and Romans"._


Having the cartoon map of the Mediterranean I posted about earlier still in my mind, I wondered whether its mysterious extinction had anything to do with a supposed sea-level rise, or cataclysm, that cut the Italian peninsula and Sicily away from the Balkans and N.Africa, with which it created a land bridge. The Mediterranean would have been a much more easily connected world if the actual geography of the ancient times looked like the one in that ... cartoon map.


If only wikipedia had any information about the geographical distribution of Silphium.
Could that have been in or near the areas that flooded when this hypothetical sea-level rise happened?
Could silphium have...'drowned'?


Well, it turned out that this couldn't have been more spot on!

"The plant grew along a *narrow coastal* area, about 125 by 35 miles (201 by 56 km), *in Cyrenaica* (in present-day Libya)"
Silphium would have not been able to survive  a sea-level rise of this scale.
It was not a mountain plant or found in places that would have not been affected.
Why not add this hypothesis, too, to the rest mentioned above?

However, if a Mediterranean cataclysm was the reason behind the mysterious disappearance of a plant historically recorded during the Roman times, this means that the Roman times were ... pre-cataclysm!

Folks, I am not saying that this is what happened to Silphium; the rest of the explanations are more plausible, indeed,
but I also think that we should really start looking at that Mickey Mouse map more closely for new approaches to our investigations.

PS: Silphium's medicinal and other usage are very interesting, too, but I would like to keep this discussion on the geographical distribution and the timeline of the historical recordings of it.





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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: jd755Date: 2020-01-11 17:20:17Reaction Score: 3


From the google page cache
*Banta said*
The use as a contraceptive is interesting:

Did the ancient Romans use a natural herb for birth control?

*Waterworld said*
I think Silphium is a phantasy name. The real name is Alraune, Mandrake (Mandragora) or as used in the Bible: dudaim, the symbol of Ruben

*starmonkey said in reply to Banta*
I don't think so, as concerned as they are with numbers.
I think it was whomever we associate with "Atlantis" or whatever, because they were "up to no good". Preponderance with sensual delights, as far as I've gathered.
Sort of like the premise of the Comstock Act. BULLSHIT.
It may have actually been targeted and wiped out, like most of our knowledge of the natural world.
Assembly lines, people! Back to your work stations!

*I said*
From fifteen years ago; 
Silphium: Extinct Plant / Ancient Miracle Drug?
_SILPHIUM: ANCIENT WONDER DRUG? 
 by John Tatman

Silphium, also known as silphion or laser, is an extinct plant species of the genus Ferula. It was described as having a thick root, a stalk like fennel, large alternating leaves with leaflets like celery, spherical clusters of small yellow flowers at the top and broad leaf-like, heart-shaped fruit called phyllon. Some of the best known representations of silphium are the stylized images used on the ancient coins of Kyrenaika (modern-day Libya). The plant was valued in ancient times because of its many uses as a food source, seasoning for food, and, most importantly, as a medication. Perfumes were made from the flowers, the stalk was used for food or fodder while the juice and root were used to make a variety of medical potions. 

Reported medical uses for the juice included remedies for cough, sore throat, fever, indigestion, fluid retention, seizures, aches and pains. The sap was supposed to be able to remove warts and other growths. In addition, Pliny wrote that silphium could be used for a variety of diverse conditions including treatment of leprosy, to restore hair, cleanse retained afterbirth from the womb and as an antidote for poisons. Potions made from silphium were supposedly among the most effective birth-control methods known at the time. Preparations used for birth control included a tea made from the leaves, a "pea-sized" ball of sap mixed with wine and a suppository containing the juice. The timing of administration suggests it probably functioned as an abortifacient similar to preparations made from related plant species. 

 Apparently, silphium only grew in a restricted area, approximately 125 miles by 35 miles, on the coastal plateaus of Kyrenaika.  The Greeks believed the plant was a gift from Apollo which appeared after a heavy rain storm flooded the area at about the time the city of Kyrene was founded in the seventh century BC.  Of course, there is evidence that sliphium was used much earlier in Egypt, Libya and even Greece.   Silphium supposedly resisted attempts at cultivation and transplantation, which made it one of the major revenue sources contributing to Kyrenaika's wealth.  Pliny described it as "one of the most precious gift from Nature to man." It was considered to be "worth its weight in denarii" during Roman times because of its varied medical uses and scarcity.  The plant reportedly became extinct around the first century A.D., perhaps because of overutilization.  Other plants, also referred to as "silphium," grow in other locations around the Mediterranean, but were considered to be of inferior quality.  As a result, the loss of silphium from Kyrenaika was greatly lamented in Rome.    _

*You said in reply to me*


> The Greeks believed the plant was a gift from Apollo which appeared after a heavy rain storm flooded the area at about the time the city of Kyrene was founded in the seventh century BC.


Strange both in appearance and in disappearance, then, lol. And flood involved.


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## Huaqero (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: HuaqeroDate: 2020-01-11 17:22:22Reaction Score: 0




jd755 said:


> From the google page cache
> *Banta said*
> The use as a contraceptive is interesting:
> 
> ...


haha, ressurection!


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: BantaDate: 2020-01-12 18:28:18Reaction Score: 0


Thanks JD. Wanted to add that it mostly seems very speculative on what exactly this plant was or even was supposed to do. Article I linked had this little nugget too: _The last piece reputedly was eaten by the emperor Nero, evidently unclear on the concept of menstrual flow._


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