176 ON THE SILPHIUM OF THE ANCIENTS. 
which I have also compared drug ggists’ specimens, is still larger, and 
when soaked in water to restore - size and form, is some igas- 
trous (to use a convenient term, coined, I believe by Kunth), entirely 
devoid of hair, but thickly slated aa squarrose, conical, papillo 
protuberances. It looks, in fact, not unlike the capsule of a Canna. 
he arillus is plea santly ac id, but the seeds themselves taste to me 
strongly of turpentine cahas ‘than of tar, to whieh Mr. Hanbury likens 
their flavour.—H. F. Hance 
€xtratts and AWhstrarcts. 
ON THE SELPHIUM OF THE ANCIENTS. 
By A. 8. Oxzsrep. 
In a paper originally published in the ‘ Overs. over de K. Danske 
vid. ‘selsk. Toth. ” for 1869, of which a German abstract a 
mination of. i re. 
Tn the middle of the seventh centu ury B.c. some Greeks from the 
island of Thera settled on the north coast of Africa, in the district then 
called Cyrenaica, and now known as Barka. The state which was 
subsequently developed vowed its great commercial p rosperity very 
largely to its trade in Silphium, and thé numerous coins found in the 
district bear on one side the head of Jupiter Ammon, and the 
Silphium on the reverse. This plant grew wild in the uncultivated 
southern part of the country, and did mot succeed under cultivation. 
rom its root when sliced a milky juice exuded, which, when 
highly valued by the Greek and Roman gourmets, and was also in 
high repute as a medicine. Silphium fetched its weight in silver, and 
was reckoned with other prectous things in the Roman staté treasuries. 
i of 
Nero had a specimen of the plant sent to him as a curiosity. It was 
still known in - fifth century a.p.;Synesius, who when he died in 431 
was Bishop o: f Barka, mentions that he su supplied a friend with a 
specimen of the rarity: The reason of its decrease is said by Strabo 
waste. The farmers also let their cattle feed upon: it. 
Much has been written as to the nature of tie remarkable rei 
which; from the description and the figures on the coins, has alw 
= doe Site ee : ee of — that pe be read in the ancient authors 
nt reference may be made to Thrige’s ‘“ Res Cyren sium”? 
(Hafniw, 1828),pp. 304—315, —(Fd. pina Bot ] - oe 
