Sponsored By:

Why was this tree sacred to Rome?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

September 2, 2002

Also Sponsored By: Gurney's Seed and Nursery—>Click here.

killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Suggested Reading—>Click here.

Julius Caesar's Rome, Engineering an Empire, Fruit Trees & more—>Click here.

The fig (Ficus carica Linnaeus) has been cultivated and eaten since the Bronze Age, but John Gerard, like most people of his time, discouraged eating fruit. "The dry Figs do nourish better than...new Figs; notwithstanding they ingender not very good bloud, for such people as do feed much thereon doe become lowsie (weak, prostrate)." (The Herbal, 1633 ed.)

Gerard felt the tree and its fruit had medicinal uses, "Figs be good for the throat and lungs, they mitigate the cough, and are good for them that be short-winded....Figs...made into...a plaister with wheat meal...Fenugreek...Linseed and roots of marish Mallows, applied warm do soften...all hot and angry swellings....The

advertisement

Dwarf Fig Fruit Trees Smoky gray-green foliage adorns these 3-to 4 ft. plants. Evergreen foliage, sweetly scented flowers and edible fruit in one! Can be moved outdoors in summer, so the bees take care of pollination for you. Figs will bear within 2-4 years. Plump fruit is sweet and delectable for fresh eating, preserves, baking and drying.  Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

leaves of the Fig tree do waste and consume the Kings Evil (scrofula, tuberculosis of the glands in the neck)...being finely pounded and laid thereon...."

The latex or "milky juyce...is good against all roughness of the skinne...measles, wheals, freckles...and all other spots..." The fig is a member of the rubber tree family and although rubber was not used in Europe until the Spanish introduced it from "New Spain", Gerard mentioned a single rubber-like use: "The milke doth also cure the tooth-ache, if a little lint or cotton be wet therein, and put into the hollowness of the tooth."

Two thousand years before Gerard, the tree was honored among the ancients. Pliny the Elder related this legend: "A fig-tree that grows in the Forum itself, the meeting-place of Rome, is sacred because things struck by lightning are buried there, and all the more so for being a reminder of the fig-tree under which the nurse of Romulus and Remus first tended the founders of our empire....The tree is known as Ruminalis because the she-wolf was discovered beneath it giving her teats to the infant boys. A bronze statue was dedicated near by to celebrate this marvel." (Natural History, Book XV, first century CE, trans. John F. Healy)

Virtual Roma is an organization for teaching about the ancient Roman culture. This is an excellent resource site for instructors and students. To view the She-wolf, a bronze statue dating to the Etruscans (circa 500 BCE), click on the link:

http://www.vroma.org/images/scaife_images/

The She-wolf is the first set of images. The top link is a small jpeg, the second is a larger image. The two infants were not part of the original statue, but were added later during the Middle Ages. This statue may be similar to or even the model for the statue dedicated at the Roman Forum.

Amikam Shoob of Tel-Aviv University has posted a photograph showing the fig in its native habitat. To view the photograph, click on the link:

http://www.tau.ac.il/~ibs/album/ficus.c.html

The Garden Data Bank has several close-up photographs of the fig. To view the photographs, click on the link:

http://www.gartendatenbank.de/pflanzen/ficus/a001.htm

Click on the individual images to enlarge.

killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Suggested Reading:

What flower blooms inside its fruit? Renfield's Garden - September 4, 2002
Why do desert oases have dates? Plants that Changed History - December 23, 2003
Why was a legendary bird named for a palm? What's in a Name? - December 26, 2003
Where do marshmallows come from? Herbal Folklore - July 8, 2002
What fruit was used for colds? Herbal Folklore - February 10, 2003

Sweet Leaf Plant

Gurney Seed and Nursery®

The Natural Sugar Substitute.—Glossy foliage just 10 inches tall, sprinkled with snowy flowers. Dried leaves are 300 times sweeter than sugar. Bring in for the winter.  Click here to get $20 off your first order at Gurneys!  [More Houseplants...]

The History Channel Presents: Julius Caesar's Rome The History Channel®
		2 disc-set includes 5 bonus documentaries. The definitive chronicle of one of Rome's greatest emperor. Experience documentary history at its best and bear witness to the rise and fall of an empire with THE HISTORY CHANNEL® PRESENTS: JULIUS CAESAR'S ROME. Throughout history, civilizations have come and gone, but few have altered the world as immensely as the Roman Empire. From its legendary founding by Romulus and Remus to its magnificent takeover of the Mediterranean to its eventual fall amidst the rise of Christianity, the many lasting influences of the Roman civilization remain with us today.
Included in this 2-volume DVD set are the following programs: BIOGRAPHY®: JULIUS CAESAR: MASTER OF THE ROMAN WORLD—From ambition to betrayal, Biography presents the story of Rome's greatest emperor. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA—Relive the timeless love story between a Roman general and an Egyptian queen. THE REPUBLIC OF ROME—From kingship to republic, an empire is born and the foundations of modern democracy launched. THE AGE OF EMPERORS—From the brilliance of Augustus to the madness of Nero, examine the legacies of godlike men. BUILDING AN EMPIRE--Follow the travels of Hadrian, visit the ruins of Pompeii and revisit the "Golden Age" of Rome. THE ENDURING LEGACY—Amidst the rise of Christianity, Rome is plundered, but its place in history will never die. 2 Volume Set 322+ Minutes  The History Channel Presents: Julius Caesar's Rome DVD set. Clcik here.
Rome: Engineering an Empire DVD The History Channel®
		Exclusive never-before-seen footage shot on a diving expedition in the water channels underneath the Colosseum. Extensive state-of-the-art CGI animation. The Roman Empire. Once an insignificant pastoral settlement, it rose to become the most powerful empire in world history over the course of just a few hundred years. It has left a permanent imprint of its material and cultural achievements. At the top of this list: its engineering feats.
Rome wasn't built in a day - but this exclusive DVD set will rebuild it in a matter of hours. The Romans built magnificent palaces and colossal stadiums that dwarfed anything built previously. They left an imprint on technology that looms large over all that we create, and their advancements in engineering-arches, barrel vaults, domed ceilings, and water distribution systems-still influence modern construction. ROME: ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE is a remarkable special-presentation that chronicles the spectacular and sordid history of the Roman Empire from the rise of Julius Caesar in 55 BC to its eventual fall around 537 AD. Detailing the remarkable engineering feats that set Rome apart from the rest of the ancient world, the program features extensive state-of-the-art CGI animation that will give viewers the chance to see Rome's greatest structures the way the ancient Romans saw them. The insights of engineers, archaeologists and historians from around the globe add rare depth to segments on Hadrian's Wall, Caesar's Bridge, the aqueducts, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Baths of Caracalla and more. We'll go inside the remains of Emperor Nero's lavish Golden Palace for a rare look at how one of Rome's most notorious megalomaniacs lived. The special also features exclusive never-before-seen footage shot on a diving expedition in the water channels underneath the Colosseum -- channels once used to flood the arena for bloody mock naval battles. The wonders of ancient Rome come to life as never before!  Rome: Engineering an Empire DVD. Click here.
killerplants Recommended Seed and Nursery Stores
BACK TO TOP