How did parsley 'win' a war?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

January 28, 2003

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

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Timoleon and Timophanes were brothers and citizens of Corinth. Timoleon [ti mol' ee on] served in the infantry and Timophanes [ti mof' a nees] in the cavalry. During one battle, Timophanes' horse was injured and Timophanes lay on the ground. Timoleon ran to his brother's aid, shielding him until the two could be rescued from the fighting.

Years later, Timophanes was placed in charge of the defenses of Corinth. He overthrew the government and abused the population. Timoleon and others tried to get Timophanes to step down. He refused to relinquish his autocracy. Timoleon wept, but did nothing to stop the assassination of his brother.

Timoleon's mother never forgave him. He withdrew from society and lived twenty years alone.

Diana Fountain, Siracusa (Syracuse), Island of Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean Photographic Print Oliviero Olivieri Buy Photographic Print at AllPosters.com

Corinthians settled on the island of Sicily and built towns and cities. Over the years, warring factions raised armies and seized power. The city of Syracuse was reduced to poverty and enslavement. Plutarch (1st century) wrote of the conditions, "The city had passed through a period during which it repeatedly exchanged one tyrant for another, and as a result of all the misfortunes it had suffered, was in an almost derelict condition. As for the rest of Sicily, some districts had been ravaged and had become almost completely depopulated through incessant warfare."

A Carthaginian fleet surrounded the island, ready to invade. Timoleon was asked by the Corinthian governing body to go to Sicily, clean up the warring groups, and prevent the Carthaginian invasion. Timoleon was 64. He succeeded in raising the people to fight. Timoleon's "army" was poorly equipped, hastily trained, and facing Carthaginian war chariots and 10,000 armored infantry.

Mount Etna, Island of Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean Photographic Print N A Callow
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Climbing a hill, Timoleon and his army met a mule train loaded with parsley; the army thought it was an ill-omen and wanted to flee. "Timoleon was anxious to get rid of their superstitious fears and raise their spirits, and so he ordered a halt and made a short speech...telling them that the crown of victory had of its own accord fallen into their hands before the battle...this was the very herb which the Corinthians use to crown their victors at the Isthmian games...sacred wreath of their country...as it is at the Nemean...when Timoleon finished speaking, he took some parsley and crowned himself...the soldiers...followed his example." (The Age of Alexander, trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert, 1973)

A terrible storm blew up and Timoleon took advantage. The Carthaginians were bogged in the mud and crossing a rising river. Timoleon and his "parsleyed" army won the day.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has information and photographs of Sicily, Past and Present. To learn more and view the photographs, click on the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicily

Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages has an excellent article on Parsley (Petroselinum crispum [Mill.] Nyman ex A. W. Hill). To learn more about Parsley petroselinon (rock celery), click on the link:

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Petr_cri.html

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

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