History of parsley

Parsley has been used for thousands of years and has become an essential ingredient in cooking. Parsley has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years, although it was first used in medicine and not food.

Pedanius Dioscorides (100 A.D.), a Greek physician of the early Roman Empire, is said to have given the plant its name, ‘Petioselunum crispum’.

The botanical name Petroselinum is derived from the Greek words ‘petros’, meaning stone (it grows on rocky hillsides) and ‘selinon’ (parsley or celery). In the sixteenth century parsley was known as A. hortense, hortense meaning gardener in Latin.

The ancient Greeks and Romans did not eat parsley. However, they did grow it in their gardens as a border plant, and thought it to be wonderful fodder for the chariot horses.

Parsley is mentioned in Greek historical records as being used for cheering sportsmen by wearing crowns made of parsley; wreaths made from parsley were also used to adorn graves. The ancient Greeks believed that parsley originated from the blood of Archemorus, the ‘Forerunner of Death’.

The Romans began using parsley as early as 3rd century BC. Its oldest uses were medicinal, fresh or in lotions as first aid for insect bites, as a mosquito repellent, a mild laxative, diuretic and treatment for infections of the eye, ears and teeth. Parsley was also used in Roman rituals. There are reports of it being sprinkled over dead bodies to remove the smell too.

The practice of using parsley as a garnish actually has a long history that can be traced back to the civilization of the ancient Romans. While it is uncertain when parsley began to be consumed as a seasoning, it seems to be sometime in the Middle Ages in Europe.

It is mentioned as one of the plants in the gardens of Charlemagne and Catherine de Medici, and there is a rumor that parsley was popularized in France by Catherine de Medici.

Parsley was introduced into England from Sardinia in 1548. European colonists brought parsley to the United States in the 17th century, and it continues to be a popular garden vegetable nationwide.
History of parsley

Cumin in ancient Roman Empire

Ancient peoples such as the Egyptian, the Arab and the Roman made extensive uses of spices, not only to add flavor to foods and beverages, but as medicines, disinfectants, incenses, stimulants and even as aphrodisiac agents.

Cumin is mentioned in the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, where it is said that cumin was used as currency to pay “tithe” to the priests. It was also known in Ancient Greece and Rome, where it was used as a kind of pepper.

Cumin seeds were highly honored as a culinary seasoning in Roman kitchens and was used heavily in ancient Roman cuisine. Cumin has been used on meat in addition to other common seasonings.

The Romans also used it medicinally and cosmetically to induce a pallid complexion. Cumin's popularity was partly due to the fact that its peppery flavor made it a viable replacement for black pepper, which was very expensive and hard to come by.
Cumin in ancient Roman Empire

History of Immunology during ancient times

Immunology studies the relationship between the body systems, pathogens, and immunity. During the earlier period it was supposed that disease was due to a quantitative imbalance among the humors, and this belief led to widespread use of therapies that included bleeding, cupping, leeches and purgatives and expectorants of many types.

Primitive man knew about disease and its ravages. The Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh (2000 B.C. – Mesopotamian hero) records the presence of pestilence and disease.

The other writings from old dynasties of ancient Egypt, one finds even more descriptions of disease. They even can identify the disease. In those days, disease and pestilence was punishment rendering as a result of “bad deeds” or “evil thoughts”.

Even in the Old Testament is filled with pestilence that God wrought upon those who “crossed” him. From these writings, it is equally apparent that man knew that once he had been afflicted with disease, if he survived, he was normally not able to contract it again.

If throughout early history disease was considered as a punishment by the spirits or demons or goods for vice and sin, then being sparred the initial effects of a raging pestilence or other disease should automatically have been viewed as the inevitable result of having led a clean and pious life.

Thucydides (460 – 400 BC)

In 430 B.C. Thucydides remarked after an epidemic of typhus in Athens that:… none was ever attached by the disease a second time or with a fatal result.

King Mithridates VI of Pontus of Black Sea region who reigned from 132 to 63 BC and was known as a great enemy of the Roman Empire immunized himself against fungal toxin by administering small non-toxic amounts. He was the first known individual applying the principle of immunization.

 As early as 1 A.D, the ancient Roman Celsus documented in De Medicina the heat swelling, pain and redness and that result from human body’s inflammatory response to injury.

Beginning around 1000 A.D., the ancient Chinese practiced a form of immunization by inhaling dried powders derived from the crusts of smallpox lesions. 

Around the fifteenth century, a practice of applying powdered smallpox "crusts" and inserting them with a pin or “poking” device into the skin became commonplace. The process was referred to as variolation and became quite common in the Middle East. However, the primary intent of variolation was that of “preserving” the beauty of their daughters and no mention was made of saving lives.
History of Immunology during ancient times

Sardonyx stone in ancient history

The earliest use of sardonyx that can be traced is from the Twenty Second Dynasty and the disc from the Nineteenth Dynasty temple of Meneptah at Memphis, but certainly of later date, called onyx by the finder, appear form the description (white, red and brown) to be sardonyx.

Pliny mentions that the first Roman who wore a sardonyx, according to Demostratus, was the elder Africanus, since whose time this stone has been held in very high esteem.

Sardonyx became very popular after the Twenty First Dynasty, reaching a peak of use (particularly for cameos, intaglios, and ring settings) in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.

Cameos of sardonyx became popular in classical Greece and Rome and continued to be for many centuries. It was also frequently used as the stone at the end of the chain in the fob watch.

The finest Sardonyx come from India and Arabia, but it is also found in Germany and the Tyrol. It was used as a gemstone, for seal stones and small decorative objects. Roman soldiers wore sardonyx engraved with figures of Mars or Hercules to give them courage.

In the Middle Ages sardonyx was used for healing, especially the eyes. The coolness of the stone when placed on the eyelids was said to bring respite from discomfort.
Sardonyx stone in ancient history

Roman soldier

The army of the early empire was basically tripartite. The kernel was that portion which was stationed in or near Rome and which consisted of the praetorian guard, and later the equities singulares, the urban cohorts, the vigils or fire-brigades and the fleets of Misenum and Ravenna.

The latter unit alone was stationed at any great distance from the center. All these forces were much more immediately under the emperor’s control than any of the units stationed on the provinces.

The soldier of the army are normally young, male, slim, healthy and at least 1.75 m tall. He needs to have good eyesight and hearing and the ability to speak Latin.

A late Roman imperial prescript gives the minimum age of recruitment as 18 years and given the conservatism of Roman military regulations, this date probably also applied under the Principate.

There are about 300,000 soldiers in the entire Roman army and the elite troops (120,000 men) are divided into 25 legions.  During AD 9, there were 28 legions of 5,600 – 6,000 men each in service.

The soldier is paid fairly well and regularly. Soldiers also get a share of booty and a generous pension when they retire. There is good chance of promotion in Roman army.

Legionaries sign on for 25 years of service.  Army life began training in Rome. They are taught how to march, how to build a camp and must drill twice a day.
Roman soldier