Silphion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A now-extinct plant used in ancient times for its medicinal properties and as a popular seasoning
2. a symbol of wealth and luxury in the ancient Mediterranean world
3. a historical example of how a single plant can impact trade and culture significantly

Etymology: Silphion was a plant prized in the ancient Greek world, especially in Cyrene, a city on the coast of modern Libya, where it grew wild and was harvested for its resin and stalks. Its sap, sold as a seasoning, medicine and contraceptive, was valuable enough that Cyrene stamped the plant on its coins, and Pliny the Elder later wrote that the last known stalk was presented to the emperor Nero. Its exact identity is uncertain, and it may have been a giant fennel, asafoetida, or another umbellifer, and the plant went extinct in antiquity, possibly through overharvesting. The word itself is Greek, "silphion" or "silphion", and was used in the ancient world for the plant and its resin. Its origin is unknown, and no convincing root has been identified in Greek or in any related language. Because the plant vanished, the name survives only in classical texts and on coins, which is why its meaning is known mainly through descriptions rather than living examples.

Synonyms: silphium