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Silphium (also known as ''silphion'', ''laserwort'', or ''laser'') was a plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning and as a medicine.〔 It was the essential item of trade from the ancient North African city of Cyrene, and was so critical to the Cyrenian economy that most of their coins bore a picture of the plant. The valuable product was the plant's resin (''laser'', ''laserpicium'', or ''lasarpicium''). Silphium was an important species in prehistory, as evidenced by the Egyptians and Knossos Minoans developing a specific glyph to represent the silphium plant. It was used widely by most ancient Mediterranean cultures; the Romans considered it "worth its weight in denarii" (silver coins). Legend said that it was a gift from the god Apollo. The exact identity of silphium is unclear. It is commonly believed to be a now-extinct plant of the genus ''Ferula'',〔J.L. Tatman, "Silphium, Silver and Strife: A History of Kyrenaika and Its Coinage" ''Celator'' 14.10 (October 2000:6–24).〕 perhaps a variety of "giant fennel". The still-extant plant ''Ferula tingitana'' has been suggested as another possibility.〔(''Did the ancient Romans use a natural herb for birth control?'' ), The Straight Dope, October 13, 2006〕 Another plant, asafoetida, was used as a cheaper substitute for silphium, and had similar enough qualities that Romans, including the geographer Strabo, used the same word to describe both.〔Dalby, page 18.〕 ==Identity and extinction== The identity of silphium is highly debated. It is generally considered to belong to the genus ''Ferula'', probably as an extinct species (although the currently extant plants ''Ferula tingitana'', ''Ferula narthex'', and ''Thapsia garganica'' have historically been suggested as possible identities).〔〔〔Alfred C. Andrews, "The Silphium of the Ancients: A Lesson in Crop Control"., ''Isis'' 33.2 (June 1941:232–236).〕 K. Parejko, writing on its possible extinction, concludes that "because we cannot even accurately identify the plant we cannot know for certain whether it is extinct." The cause of silphium's supposed extinction is not entirely known. The plant grew along a narrow coastal area, about , in Cyrenaica (in present-day Libya).〔"Off this tract is the island of Platea, which the Cyrenaeans colonized. Here too, upon the mainland, are Port Menelaus, and Aziris, where the Cyrenaeans once lived. The Silphium begins to grow in this region, extending from the island of Platea on the one side to the mouth of the Syrtis on the other." (Herodotus, iv.168–198 (on-line text ))〕 Much of the speculation about the cause of its extinction rests on a sudden demand for animals that grazed on the plant, for some supposed effect on the quality of the meat. Overgrazing combined with overharvesting may have led to its extinction.〔Pliny, (XIX, Ch.15 )〕 Demand for its contraceptive use was reported to have led to its extinction in the 3rd or 2nd century BCE. The climate of the Maghreb has been drying over the millennia, and desertification may also have been a factor. Another theory is that when Roman provincial governors took over power from Greek colonists, they over-farmed silphium and rendered the soil unable to yield the type that was said to be of such medicinal value. Theophrastus wrote in ''Enquiry into Plants'' that the type of ferula specifically referred to as "silphium" was odd in that it could not be cultivated.〔Theophrastus, III.2.1, VI.3.3〕 He reports inconsistencies in the information he received about this, however.〔Theophrastus, VI.3.5〕 Pliny reported that the last known stalk of silphium found in Cyrenaica was given to the Emperor Nero "as a curiosity".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Silphium」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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