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No, the Ancient Romans Didn’t Overharvest Silphium to Extinction Because It
Was a Highly Effective Contraceptive

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.
According to the articles on the internet, the ancient Romans were so
horny and they loved having sex so much that they overharvested
silphium, leading it to go totally extinct in around the middle of the
first century AD.

There is some truth to this story, but much of it is false. Silphium
was a real plant that really was grown in the region around Kyrene in
North Africa and some Romans did believe it to possess contraceptive
properties. Likewise, there is a Roman source that seems to support the
idea that some Romans thought that, by the middle of the first century
AD, the particular variety of silphium from Kyrenaïka had become
extremely rare, if not extinct.

Nonetheless, it is unclear whether silphium was actually effective at
all as a contraceptive and, although a few ancient texts claim it to
have possessed contraceptive properties, its primary use in antiquity
was never as a form of birth control. In antiquity, silphium was, in
fact, always primarily desired as a food item because people thought it
was a culinary delicacy. There is far more ancient evidence for
silphium’s consumption as a food item than there is for its use as a
method of birth control.

A review of the origins of the popular misconception about silphium

The whole story about silphium being a highly effective contraceptive
that the Romans consumed to extinction owes much of its popularity to
the work of one scholar: John Riddle, who has written multiple books
about the history of contraceptives in western cultures, including
Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance
and Eve’s Herbs: A History of Contraception and Abortion in the West.

Now, John Riddle’s works have received a great deal of criticism from
historians such as Gary B. Ferngren and Helen King for making a large
number of unsubstantiated claims. Unfortunately, despite this
criticism, Riddle’s works have fueled dozens of popular articles on
websites across the internet making unsubstantiated claims about
silphium being driven to extinction because of its effectiveness as a
form of birth control. These articles often stretch the evidence even
further than Riddle’s actual works do.

ABOVE: Photograph of a Kyrenaic gold coin dated to betwee. c. 308 and
c. 277 BC depicting a stalk of silphium

Was it really an effective contraceptive?

John Riddle claims in his books that silphium was probably effective as
a form of contraception. Articles on the internet have taken his claims
to radical extremes, making hyperbolic assertions about silphium’s
alleged effectiveness. For instance,[10] this article from All That’s
Interesting claims that silphium was “possibly … the world’s most
effective contraception.” Meanwhile, [11]this article from the website
Ancient Origins (a website which I should note is somewhat notorious
for pushing all kinds of outlandish stories and even blatant
pseudohistory) claims that silphium was “possibly the most popular and
effective herbal contraceptive ever produced.”

The truth, though, is that silphium’s alleged contraceptive properties
are probably greatly exaggerated at best. 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. 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 [12]on page 46).

Riddle cites a study that found that crude alcohol extracts of Ferula
assa-foetida, a giant fennel plant thought to be closely related to
silphium, impeded egg fertilization in female rats with an
effectiveness rate of roughly 40% and that crude alcohol extracts from
Ferula orientalis, another giant fennel plant, impeded fertilization
with an effectiveness rate of roughly 50%. Riddle goes on to cite
another study, which he claims found that Ferula jaeschikaena was
“nearly … 100 percent effective” at impeding egg fertilization in
female rats, but only if it was fed to the rats within three days
before coitus.

While these studies may be evidence that silphium may have had some
genuine contraceptive properties, they are hardly evidence that
silphium was consistently effective. For one thing, although silphium
was probably a giant fennel plant of some kind, we don’t know which
species. Additionally, these studies were done on rats, not humans, and
humans have very different physiologies from rats. Finally, a 40% or
50% success rate isn’t exactly stellar and the “nearly … 100 percent”
success rate claimed for Ferula jaeschikaena may have been a fluke.

Was it thought to be a contraceptive, though?

Ok, so it’s unclear whether silphium was really an effective
contraceptive, but the real question is, did the ancient Greeks and
Romans believe it was an effective contraceptive? Well, the answer is a
bit complicated. Some Greek and Roman medical writers certainly do
describe silphium as having contraceptive properties, but this does not
seem to have ever been the primary purpose for which silphium was
harvested.

Ancient Greek sources from the Classical Period (lasted c. 510 – c. 323
BC) almost exclusively refer to silphium as a culinary delicacy. For
instance, in a passage from the comedy The Birds, written by the
ancient Athenian comic playwright Aristophanes (lived c. 446 – c. 386
BC) and first performed at the City Dionysia in Athens in 414 BC, the
character Pisthetairos, an Athenian man, is portrayed having a lavish
feast when a trio of gods come to visit him. Pisthetairos mentions
silphium amidst a variety of other culinary delicacies that he is
eating at his feast. Here are lines 1579 through 1583 of the play in
the original Greek:

Πισθέταιρος: “τὴν τυρόκνηστίν τις δότω: φέρε σίλφιον:
τυρὸν φερέτω τις: πυρπόλει τοὺς ἄνθρακας.”

Ποσειδῶν: “τὸν ἄνδρα χαίρειν οἱ θεοὶ κελεύομεν
τρεῖς ὄντες ἡμεῖς.”

Πισθέταιρος: “ἀλλ᾽ ἐπικνῶ τὸ σίλφιον.”

Here is the same conversation, in my own translation:

Pisthetairos: “Give me the cheese-grater! Bring me the silphium!
Bring me the cheese! Watch over the coals!”

Poseidon: “Man, we three gods are urging you to greet us!”

Pisthetairos: “But I’m finishing off my silphium!”

There’s nothing here to even suggest that Pisthetairos is eating
silphium for any purpose other than culinary enjoyment. Again, this
passage is fairly typical of classical Greek texts dealing with
silphium; whenever silphium is mentioned, it is in a culinary context.

ABOVE: Photograph of the obverse and reverse side of a silver Kyrenaic
coin, minted by Magas of Kyrene between c. 300 and c. 282 BC

In the Roman world, silphium was still primarily sought after as a food
item. 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. It is hard to imagine that the author of this
cookbook saw silphium as much more than a dish to be eaten for culinary
enjoyment.

Our first major source of information about the alleged medicinal uses
of silphium is the Roman encyclopedist Pliny the Elder (lived c. 23 –
79 AD), who writes about silphium extensively in his book Natural
History. Pliny the Elder lists a number of alleged medicinal uses for
silphium, which include its use as a contraceptive, but even he admits
that the primary use of silphium was as a food item.

Rather amusingly, Pliny the Elder attributes all sorts of miraculous
effects to the eating of silphium, claiming that it “purged” the body
of all ailments. This indicates that, by Pliny’s own time, the
properties of silphium were becoming rather mythologized. Pliny writes
in his Natural History 19.25.9–10, [13]as translated by John Bostock,
H. T. Riley, and B. A. London:

“They [i.e. 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. After
the fall of the leaf, the people themselves were in the habit of
eating the stalk, either roasted or boiled: from the drastic effects
of this diet the body was purged for the first forty days, all
vicious humours being effectually removed.”

Stories about these alleged miraculous effects of eating silphium
probably arose in a similar manner to how modern claims about alleged
herbal cures arise, such as the all-too-common claims about various
kinds of common herbs and spices allegedly being cures for cancer.
(Spoiler alert: these claims are never supported by sound scientific
evidence.)

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

Nearly all the evidence that is usually cited in support of the idea
that silphium was primarily used as a contraceptive is deeply
contrived. 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. 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.

This is an extremely tendentious interpretation, however. 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. I honestly find it extremely difficult to see how anyone
could interpret the position of the woman’s arm to mean anything
sexual.

Indeed, there is almost nothing about the image on the coin that can be
reasonably construed as sexually suggestive. The woman is clothed and
seated in what seems to me to be a perfectly normal, albeit rather
stiff, position. 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.

It is worth noting that articles on the internet about silphium often
reference these coins, but yet they never seem to include images of the
coin itself—probably because, if they included images of the coin,
people would realize that it doesn’t depict what they claim it depicts.
In any case, here is an image of one of the actual coins:

ABOVE: Photograph [14]from the British Museum of a Kyrenaic coin dating
to between c. 525 and c. 480 BC depicting a seated woman gesturing to a
stalk of silphium. Coins of this type are often cited as evidence for
silphium being primarily used as a form of birth control. In reality,
the woman is probably just Kyrene, the patron goddess of the city of
Kyrene, looking after the city’s most famous crop.

Is it really extinct?

Nearly all the articles on the internet about silphium claim that the
plant is now totally extinct, but, in reality, the question of whether
silphium ever actually went extinct is still quite open. First of all,
although Pliny the Elder is often cited as claiming that it went
extinct, he does not actually say that the plant was extinct. Instead,
this is what Pliny says in his Natural History 19.15, [15]as translated
by John Bostock, H. T. Riley, and B. 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. The juice of this plant is
called ‘laser,’ and it is greatly in vogue for medicinal as well as
other purposes, being sold at the same rate as silver. For these
many years past, however, it has not been found in Cyrenaica, as the
farmers of the revenue who hold the lands there on lease, have a
notion that it is more profitable to depasture flocks of sheep upon
them. Within the memory of the present generation, a single stalk is
all that has ever been found there, and that was sent as a curiosity
to the Emperor Nero. For this long time past, there has been no
other laser imported into this country, but that produced in either
Persis, Media, or Armenia, where it grows in considerable abundance,
though much inferior to that of Cyrenaica; and even then it is
extensively adulterated with gum, sacopenium, or pounded beans.”

Notice that Pliny doesn’t say that silphium was extinct; he just says
that it hasn’t been found in Kyrenaïka in a long time. Indeed, he even
says that another variety of silphium was cultivated in Persis, Media,
and Armenia, but that it wasn’t as good as the kind from Kyrenaïka.

ABOVE: Photograph [16]from Wikimedia Commons of a Roman marble bust of
the emperor Nero on display in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. Pliny
claims that a single stalk of silphium from Kyrenaïka was presented to
Nero as a curiosity.

Furthermore, there is a great deal of other evidence that leads us to
seriously doubt that silphium actually went extinct in the middle of
the first century AD. For one thing, silphium is mentioned and even
prescribed in various Greek medical texts written long after the reign
of Nero. In fact, nearly all of our sources that actually mention
silphium being used as a contraceptive come from after the time when
Pliny is often interpreted as saying that silphium went extinct.

For instance, the Greek medical writer Soranos of Ephesos (lived c. 98
– c. 138 AD) recommends in his book On Gynocology that a woman seeking
to induce menstruation should drink an amount of balm made from
silphium equivalent to the amount of a chickpea in two glasses of
water. Later, a woman doctor named Metrodora, who lived in around the
third century AD, includes silphium in a recipe for an abortifacient in
her medical treatise On the Cures and Diseases of Women. Neither of
these writers mention anything about silphium being extinct.

The fact that medical writers from late antiquity keep recommending
silphium and mention nothing about it being extinct strongly indicates
to me that silphium probably did not go extinct in the first century AD
as Pliny the Elder has led many modern scholars to assume. In fact, I
am not entirely sure that silphium ever really went extinct at all. I
suspect that people probably eventually just forgot which plant it was.

There are many species of giant fennel plants (i.e. plants in the genus
Ferula) native to North Africa today that look very much like the
silphium plants shown on ancient Kyrenaic coins. Basically everyone
agrees that, at the very least, the plants in the genus Ferula are
closely related to silphium. There is a very real possibility, though,
that one of the extant species in the genus Ferula native to North
Africa may actually be silphium. In particular, Ferula tingitana is
often cited as the extant plant that most closely resembles the plants
shown on Kyrenaic coins.

ABOVE: Photograph [17]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 [18]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

How debauched were the Romans really?

The popular legend about the Romans driving silphium to extinction
because they were so horny feeds into a persistent stereotype in modern
popular culture of the ancient Romans as being thoroughly sex-crazed
and debauched. As much as people today may wish this stereotype to be
true, though, it largely isn’t. The ancient Romans were, in general,
somewhat more open about sexuality than we are today, but it’s
absolutely not true that ancient Rome was a “pervert’s paradise” where
everyone went around having orgies and kinky sex all the time.

As I discuss in [19]this article I wrote in February 2019, the popular
idea that orgies were common in ancient Rome is a complete
misconception. There is no evidence that orgies were any more common in
ancient Rome than they are today. In fact, we don’t even have a single
reliable, first-hand, nonfiction account of an orgy from ancient Rome;
all we have are works of erotic fiction that don’t reflect reality and
a bunch of salacious rumors. I imagine there were probably some people
who had orgies in ancient Rome, but they certainly weren’t nearly as
common as popular culture would have you believe.

Likewise, as I discuss in [20]this article from January 2017, there is
actually no evidence to support the popular idea that it was common for
people in ancient Rome to gorge themselves and then vomit so they could
gorge themselves even further. This habit doesn’t even seem to have
been common among the extremely wealthy. The closest thing we have to
evidence of anyone in ancient Rome vomiting so they could further gorge
themselves is a single passage from the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca
the Younger (lived c. 4 BC – 65 AD) mocking extremely wealthy gourmands
who gorge themselves on rare and expensive dishes so much that they
can’t even keep their food down.

The modern image of the ancient Romans as hedonistic, orgy-loving,
silphium-addicted, vomit-loving debauchees is the result of all kinds
of influences, the most prominent of which include Christian
moralizing, Hollywood films, and modern historical writers desperate
for ways to sex-up the historical periods they are writing about.

ABOVE: The Roses of Heliogabalus, painted in 1888 by the English
Academic painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, one of the most iconic
modern representations of (alleged) ancient Roman decadence

Conclusion

Silphium was primarily desired in the ancient world because it was
considered a culinary delicacy. Although silphium does seem to have
been occasionally used for various medicinal purposes, including as a
contraceptive, this does not seem to have ever been the primary reason
why it was harvested. Saying that silphium was primarily used as a
contraceptive is a bit like saying that, since [21]some people today
apparently think basil is a contraceptive, basil is therefore primarily
used as a contraceptive.

Furthermore, I am not entirely convinced that silphium ever actually
went totally extinct and I think it is probably more likely that people
just forgot which plant it was. In all likelihood, silphium is still
around—probably as a member of the genus Ferula.

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Author: Spencer McDaniel

Hello! I'm Spencer McDaniel! I am currently a student at Indiana
University Bloomington pursuing a double major in classical studies and
history. I am obsessed with the ancient world and I write about it
constantly. My main area of study is ancient Greece, but I also write
about other areas of history as well. [24]View all posts by Spencer
McDaniel

Author [25]Spencer McDanielPosted on [26]January 4, 2020August 1,
2020Categories [27]Ancient Greece, [28]ancient medicine, [29]Ancient
Rome, [30]bizarre stories, [31]Classics, [32]Debunking, [33]life in the
ancient world, [34]Misconceptions, [35]Roman emperors, [36]Roman
Empire, [37]Roman RepublicTags [38]ancient birth control, [39]ancient
food, [40]Ancient Greece, [41]ancient history, [42]Ancient Rome,
[43]Debunking, [44]Kyrene, [45]Misconceptions, [46]Roman emperors,
[47]Roman Empire, [48]Roman orgies, [49]sex in the ancient world,
[50]silphium

16 thoughts on “No, the Ancient Romans Didn’t Overharvest Silphium to
Extinction Because It Was a Highly Effective Contraceptive”

1.
Simon Brilsby says:
[51]January 5, 2020 at 2:16 am
It’s oddly satisfying to see the debunking of myths which I’d never
heard of
1.
[52]Spencer Alexander McDaniel says:
[53]January 5, 2020 at 3:21 pm
I think that a lot of people feel that way. That’s part of why
I do so many articles debunking misconceptions. I think that,
even if someone hasn’t heard the misconception, they can still
learn something from it seeing it debunked, since the process
of debunking involves the presentation of so many facts. There
is an old quote that is often attributed to the early
Christian writer Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (lived
c. 250 – c. 325 AD) that goes: “The first point of wisdom is
to discern that which is false; the second, to know that which
is true.” I haven’t found the exact source of the quote, but
it sounds like it is probably a loose paraphrase of Book II of
Lactantius’s ”The Divine Institutes”. Regardless of who
actually said it, it’s a quote I agree with.
2.
Chsh says:
[54]April 23, 2020 at 12:48 pm
Very interesting. I enjoyed reading your article but I would love
to know what the point of your article is. You succeeded in casting
a shadow of doubt on Riddle’s claims but the absence of evidence is
not evidence in it self. At this point, I know a plant called
silphium existed. Riddle claims it was mainly used as contraception
based on his interpretation of utilization account from ancient
Rome. Spencer believes silphium was mainly used as food based on
his interpretation of utilization account from ancient Rome.
Neither has proof.
3.
Arrow says:
[55]July 15, 2020 at 10:39 pm
I think Silphium has nothing to do with either the
Fennel(Foeniculum) or Asafoetida (Ferula) genera. It may have more
likely been related to genus Eryngium ( Culantros)- given the huge
and prominent bulb shaped florets and prominent central stem as
well as descriptions of flavor . Culantro may be the best taste
approximation in modern day and is common in the Cuisines of
trinidad, Guyana and Carribean as well as isolated reaches of North
Eastern India and Vietnam and Thailand. Eryngium is a fairly
cosmopolitan genus – from Mediterranean to MesoAmerica all the way
to Australia .Or Silphium could have been a hybrid of 2 Eryngium
species that grew only locally spreading by root system alone and
explains why the Greeks or Romans could not cultivate it in other
places. Id personally start with the Sea Holly and its relatives
that grow in North Africa.
1.
SUZANNE says:
[56]October 12, 2020 at 12:50 pm
Why would the Romans have access to a plant native to North
America?
1.
Arrow says:
[57]October 18, 2020 at 12:34 pm
At least 3 species of Eryngium are Native to West Eurasia
– around the mediterranean basin.
Eryngium bourgatii
Eryngium amethystinum
Eryngium maritimum
… and some more
Eryngium campestre
Eryngium giganteum
Eryngium planum
I never mentioned culantro as native to Mediterranean,
but relatives of .
2.
Victor Claar II says:
[58]December 11, 2020 at 2:45 am
It was South America and or Central America and I’m going
with Noah’s ark came from America! Also silphium is
lantana camara. It’s slightly poisonous and causes a miss
carry of a pregnancy. I believe they over harvested it
and or planted too much of it. Lantana can choke itself
out as well as be cut down too harshly.
4.
Paco says:
[59]December 5, 2020 at 4:51 am
Counterpoint: You don’t know, you weren’t there.
5.
Victor Claar II says:
[60]December 11, 2020 at 2:55 am
Along with silphium being lantana Camara I have also discovered a
South American bird I believe to be the Phoenix. I also discovered
a tree that I believe to be the tree of knowledge. Within that tree
I also found a lizard I believe to be the dragon. I would love to
have a deeper chat on these topics.
6.
[61]M. Miski says:
[62]January 12, 2021 at 4:40 am
There is another way to explain the extinction of silphion plant,
please read the following scientific publication:
[63]https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10010102
Kind regards,
M. Miski, Ph.D.
7.
[64]Bob Saget says:
[65]May 2, 2021 at 7:48 am
I think it’s kind of annoying when someone says that something is
far-fetched but then they provide evidence to the country which is
actually scientific. That’s pretty spooky. So it’s like you’re
trying to make a whole thing out of your skeptic image, even when
the facts don’t add up with what you think using science. Just
imagine if you crossed those two species you were talking about
being 50% effective at contraception. There is a slim chance that
that alone could create something like silphium, being an effective
contraceptive, and proving you wrong. Understand the possibilities
of the universe you live in are Unlimited. Science purists who like
to be sure what facts we ascertained and didn’t share your lack of
enthusiasm with mystical sounding claims, but what they don’t share
in common with you. Is your need to put on in image that looks more
intelligent than you are by being more skeptical than you need to
be, thinking that it’s a one trick pony. Having intelligence at
something is common, being an intellectual takes a well-rounded
approach to high intelligence. People who think that they can
discount everything to seem more logical, and they can impress
people and make them like them are like this f***** Paul who likes
to get people drunk who he knows are straight and try to scare them
into having sex, because he’s a bottom feeder. That’s what you are
in science if you try to be skeptical elitist to get people’s
attention. It just shows me you’re probably a psychopath narcissist
1.
[66]Spencer McDaniel says:
[67]May 3, 2021 at 2:02 am
I honestly find it rather amusing how some commenters on this
blog feel the need to hurl the most vicious invectives at me
over even the most completely innocuous things I say. You’re
literally calling me a “faggot,” a “bottom feeder,” a
“psychopath,” and a “narcissist” just because I said that, in
all likelihood, eating silphium probably wasn’t a reliable
method of birth control.
8.
Victor Claar II says:
[68]May 3, 2021 at 3:22 am
I agree that it probably wasn’t an effective contraceptive in the
exact literal term. In the description that you have posted about
inducing menstruation. 2 pea size amounts with a glass of water. If
silphium does induce menstruation even after conception or
fertilization it’s still potentially extremely effective.
Borderline like modern chemical abortion. If it worked to
effectively abort fetuses it could also have been known to be
highly effective. There are many reasons I believe it was lantana
Camara. 1 it first a foremost has shown to cause female rats to
begin menstruation. Scientifically caused female rats to loose body
weight with no effect on male rats weight. Furthermore it matches
the description the flowers are perfect the wood is also resistant
to water a d sunlight damage making it useful as silphium was
described being used for many things like furniture. The one two
other major significant ties to lantana Camara is the description
of issues it reportedly helped alleviate. 1 it’s an effect
treatment for ulcers it was supposed fix stomach pains. It was also
reported as a cure to madness. Lantana Camara also is an effective
treatment for rabies witch could have been the cause of the madness
they were referring to. The active substances causing toxicity in
grazing animals are pentacyclic triterpenoids, which result in
liver damage and photosensitivity. It’s also know to be
antibacterial and anti-fungal leading to a long list of possible
medical uses.
9.
Joseph the Baptist says:
[69]May 10, 2021 at 9:13 am
I would have to disagree… firstly you make out that it’s a lie at
first with no hard evidence being presented, the plant is not
tested – Yet you gave us true fact that it was used in the ancient
books for food and contraception? you kept talking about the
extinction of the plant while covering this fact of Silphium being
used as contraception – In other words, I didn’t believe it before,
but now I do since you gave me the real fact of the ancient books.
Even the slightest mention of a contraceptive in those days
Indicates that they were excessive with sex in general. If they
were not sex-crazed then they wouldn’t even know the word
“contraception” at all. You do know what contraception is back in
those days? it’s called “fun”. no reproduction…
They were so sex-crazed even the warriors had sex with each other
and saying that God made man in the image of God, and used the
women as only incubators for reproduction.
To finish this off – you’re talking about AD and BC – The sword
fighter was considered a movie star of today’s caliber. Even though
civilized cultures existed so did the survival of the greatest.
kill or be killed – In saying this politicians with power can do
anything they desire and manipulate almost anyone into their sex
toy. There’s enough evidence of corruption in the modern world to
indicate how easy it would be in those times.
1.
[70]Spencer McDaniel says:
[71]May 10, 2021 at 12:24 pm
The plant cannot be tested because it is not currently
possible to identify which specific plant it was. Moreover, as
I have noted in the article, ancient people used all kinds of
bizarre remedies for all sorts of purposes that modern medical
professionals now know never really worked. Since it is
impossible to prove that silphium was in any way effective as
a form of birth control, the safest assumption is that it
probably was not. Even if it was somewhat effective, there is
certainly nothing to support the popular claim that it was
“possibly … the world’s most effective contraception.”
Finally, merely wanting to have sex without producing
offspring does not mean that someone is “sex-crazed.” If
that’s your definition of “sex-crazed,” then you’d have to
consider nearly everyone who has ever lived in any culture
during any time period “sex-crazed,” since one thing that is
clear is that people in general have been wanting to be able
to have sex without reproduction since the beginning of time
(although they haven’t always been successful at it).
10.
Dru says:
[72]May 14, 2021 at 12:35 am
I am curious, as you claim to have interest in ancient cultures, if
you have any further opinions or input on the artistic depictions
of the silphium plant on the cyrenean coins. I believe I agree with
you on the more likely scenario that it is a popular female figure
/ goddess guarding the silphium crop on the coin rather than a
cryptic picture of a Cyrenean woman, essentially pointing to her
crotch, in order to symbolize the sexual nature of silphium.
However I once took an art history course in school, where we
learned to analyze works of art from the ancient world. And one of
the first things I noticed when I saw the coin ever, was how
stylized the design of the plant was. And ironically, I haven’t
been able to find any articles mentioning any analysis of the
design, until of course I read the article posted above by, “M.
Miski, Ph.D.”, (which honestly blew me away. I highly recommend
that if you have any interest in silphium, to take the time to read
it.) But up until that point the very first time I saw the coin I
noticed immediately that the design of the plant stalk very much
resembled the fluting architecture design of of the pillars
commonly found in that part of the ancient world. I know that many
species, (take a look at celery), in that plant group have (fluted)
stalks, or or are at least designed to look that way. Some
relatives of that family with that design that come to mind are
celery and poison hemlock. And I’m fairly certain fennel too. It’s
been awhile since I’ve looked at the plants though. And I wondered
if the depiction of the fluting on the plant stalk on the coin was
intentionally representative of The columns of the ancient world,
but I don’t really think that that architecture would be that
significant to the people of that time so I just dismissed it. (I
also wondered ironically if it were possible that if that were the
case that maybe the fluting in the ancient world could have been
representative of, or at least inspired by the ferula plant
stalks.) But again, these are just random inquiries.
Another thing I did notice however in the stylistic depiction of
the Silphion plant on the coin was the way the bulb at the top of
the stalk, representing the flower, appeared. I have read before
that the silphium plant was associated with Apollo, and Apollo was
traditionally associated with the Sun. So, I wondered if
intentionally placing the arrangement of the flowers at the top in
a circle, as opposed to a more accurate depiction of what it would
look like, might have been representative of Apollonian symbolism.
In addition to that, sort of on that note, is the idea that there
is evidence of both phallic and Yonic imagery in the design of the
plant, itself. Obviously, the very enlarged wide stalk of the plant
with the flowering bulb at the top could be perceived as phallic
imagery. And simultaneously, the design of the leaves protruding
from the stalks of the plant and curving downward could be
perceived as the symbolic Yonic cup, with the protruding leaves
representing the ovaries. And actually, at first sight of the coin
I immediately thought the design of the leaves ironically resembled
a diagram of the female reproductive system.
Phallic and Yonic symbolism has been prevalent in art since the
beginning of art. On the first day of my art history class I
learned that the earliest found artistic artifact dating back to
the Paleolithic period was a phallus.
I cannot say that because there’s phallic and Yonic imagery in the
design of the silphium plant on the coin that it proves any
significance to the coin alluding to silphium’s contraceptive
purpose, but I think it’s fair to suggest, that if there was any
sexual nature pertaining to the use of silphium, that it’s very
likely that it would have been depicted in the culture surrounding
it.

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6. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/04/no-the-ancient-romans-didnt-overharvest-silphium-to-extinction-because-it-was-a-highly-effective-contraceptive/&format=xml
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8. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/
9. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/
10. https://allthatsinteresting.com/silphium
11. https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-technology/silphium-ancient-contraceptive-herb-driven-extinction-002268
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19. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2019/02/25/why-the-idea-of-roman-orgies-is-a-complete-misconception/
20. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2017/01/28/no-vomitoria-were-not-places-for-vomitting/
21. https://www.quora.com/Can-Holy-Basil-be-used-as-a-natural-form-of-birth-control-along-with-contraceptives
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24. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/author/spencer-alexander-mcdaniel/
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49. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/tag/sex-in-the-ancient-world/
50. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/tag/silphium/
51. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/04/no-the-ancient-romans-didnt-overharvest-silphium-to-extinction-because-it-was-a-highly-effective-contraceptive/#comment-356
52. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/
53. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/04/no-the-ancient-romans-didnt-overharvest-silphium-to-extinction-because-it-was-a-highly-effective-contraceptive/#comment-357
54. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/04/no-the-ancient-romans-didnt-overharvest-silphium-to-extinction-because-it-was-a-highly-effective-contraceptive/#comment-1027
55. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/04/no-the-ancient-romans-didnt-overharvest-silphium-to-extinction-because-it-was-a-highly-effective-contraceptive/#comment-4139
56. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/04/no-the-ancient-romans-didnt-overharvest-silphium-to-extinction-because-it-was-a-highly-effective-contraceptive/#comment-7977
57. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/04/no-the-ancient-romans-didnt-overharvest-silphium-to-extinction-because-it-was-a-highly-effective-contraceptive/#comment-8716
58. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/04/no-the-ancient-romans-didnt-overharvest-silphium-to-extinction-because-it-was-a-highly-effective-contraceptive/#comment-12127
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78. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/07/26/alluring-anecdotes-about-the-olympic-games/
79. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/07/20/ancient-roman-masturbation/
80. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/07/17/pamphile-of-epidauros-a-female-ancient-greek-historian/
81. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/07/14/ancient-greek-men-were-not-all-buff/
82. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/07/10/did-julius-caesar-have-epilepsy/
83. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/07/06/why-did-the-patriarchal-greeks-and-romans-worship-such-powerful-goddesses/
84. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/07/04/the-real-origin-of-the-nazi-salute/
85. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/08/07/how-accurate-are-photorealistic-portraits-of-roman-emperors/#comment-38919
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90. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/08/07/how-accurate-are-photorealistic-portraits-of-roman-emperors/#comment-38907
91. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/frequently-asked-questions/
92. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/image-information/
93. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/other-great-blogs-to-follow/
94. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/spencer-alexander-mcdaniel/
95. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/
96. https://wordpress.org/