What was silphium used for in classical antiquity?
Q: What was silphium used for in classical antiquity?
A: Silphium was used as a seasoning and as a medicine.
Q: Where was silphium primarily traded from?
A: Silphium was primarily traded from the ancient North African city of Cyrene.
Q: What is the valuable product from the silphium plant?
A: The valuable product from the silphium plant is its resin, which is called laser, laserpicium, or lasarpicium.
Q: Which ancient cultures used silphium in their writing?
A: The Egyptians and the Minoan civilization of Knossos used a special glyph in their writing for the silphium plant.
Q: How did the Romans view silphium?
A: The Romans considered silphium to be "worth its weight in denarii" (silver coins).
Q: What is the origin of silphium according to legend?
A: According to legend, silphium was a gift from the god Apollo.
Q: What is another plant species that has been suggested as a possibility for silphium?
A: Ferula tingitana is another plant species that has been suggested as a possibility for silphium.
