"For centuries, local kings held a monopoly on the plant, which made the city of Cyrene, at modern Shahhat, #Libya, the richest in Africa. Before they gave it away to the Romans, the Greek inhabitants even put it on their money..." bbc.com/future/article…
"Julius Caesar went so far as to store a cache (1,500lbs or 680kg) in the official treasury.
But today, silphium has vanished – possibly just from the region, possibly from our planet altogether."
But today, silphium has vanished – possibly just from the region, possibly from our planet altogether."
"Legend has it that silphium was first discovered after a “black” rain swept across the east coast of #Libya over two and a half millennia ago. From then onwards, the herb spread its broad roots ever further, growing luxuriantly on lush hillsides and forest meadows."
"It might sound strange – after all, North Africa is hardly famed for its greenery, but this was Cyrenaica, a land of tiered highlands with an abundant water supply. Today parts are known to receive up to 850mm of rain (34in) per year, which is nearly as wet as #Britain."
"The thing is, the fussy plant only grew in this region. Its entire range consisted of a narrow strip of land about 125 miles (201km) by 35 miles (40km)."
"We may never learn the true identity of silphium, but we can learn from its decline. The last survey of Cyrene showed that many species are rapidly disappearing, as land is given over to deserts and once again, it’s overgrazed. The Roman Empire may be long gone – but...'
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