VMS -- Botany Silphium

[Dana Scott <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have taken a look at the ancient Silphium plant (also called Silphion)
but have not found a match in the VMS. First I needed to get a good idea
of what Silphium looked like. From ancient coins and comparing to other
similar plants, I believe that I have been able to put together a
reasonable mental composite. I was also interested in learning where
Cyrene was located (sole source of Silphium) and have included here, for
those who may be interested, a set of maps and some pictures of ancient
ruins in Cyrene.

Coins:
http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Silphion.html

http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/art/buerger/catalogue/040.html
http://www.ancient-art.com/images/gs108.jpg
http://ancient-coins.com/articles/silphium/silphium2.htm
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sg/sg6319.html

Description:
http://www.lewis-kappes.com/LK/Pompeiiana/TheRomanCookery/introduction_dir/introduction_16.htm

http://www.cerebral.org/Maps/msg02722.html
http://ancient-coins.com/articles/silphium/silphium2.htm
http://biodiversity.uno.edu/~gophtax/_gophtax.1994/0305.html

Ferula communis: (toxic)
http://www.dipbot.unict.it/orto/0555-1.html
Ferula faetida:
http://www.canalvip.com.br/neumart/pm/feruassa.htm
Ferula galbaniflua: (Apiaceae)
http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/library/kohler/1761_058.jpg
Ferula scorodosoma:
http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/library/kohler/1761_052.jpg

Angelica:
http://www.taoherbfarm.com/herbs/images/angelica150.jpg
http://azuswebworks.com/herbs/gif/anise.gif

Thapsia garganica:
http://www.cgf.net/cgi-bin/pages.pl?act=search&indexnumber=6969

Cyrene: (maps)
http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/ash/departments/antiquities/euesperides/images/e-map4.jpg

http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/ash/departments/antiquities/euesperides/images/e-map3.jpg

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cl135/Students/Maria_Daniels/cyrene.html
http://www.jmiller.demon.co.uk/cyrene.jpg
http://library.berkeley.edu/EART/maps/libya4.jpg
http://library.berkeley.edu/EART/maps/libya3.jpg
http://www.libyana.org/maps/arabic/map-ne.jpg
http://www.libyana.org/maps/atlas/septplus.jpg

Cyrene ruins:
http://www.caravanserai-tours.com/cyrene.htm
http://www.komm.at/Libyen/lib-kyr.htm

Regards,
Dana Scott