top of page


Sylvia Rose
Sep 6, 20243 min read
Turmeric (Curcuma longa): Ancient Uses & Medicine
A vibrant golden spice, turmeric captivates kingdoms, heals the sick and rules the routes of the spice trade. The humble root has a long...
19 views


Sylvia Rose
Sep 6, 20243 min read
Ancient Traders & Buyers: Art of Testing Metals
Testing metals is a precise and varied process in the ancient world. It's a crucial skill in ensuring fair trade and preventing fraud....
27 views


Sylvia Rose
Aug 11, 20243 min read
Alchemy: Ancient Purification of Tin
Tin purification is important to various alchemical practices, and a fundamental step in many recipes and formulas. In alchemy purified...
41 views


Sylvia Rose
Aug 3, 20247 min read
Glass & Arts of Ancient Glass Making
Glass production is known before the Bronze Age. Early glassmakers in Egypt and the ancient Near East produce colored beads and later...
45 views


Sylvia Rose
May 4, 20245 min read
Opium Poppy (Papaver somnifum)
Opium poppy (Papaver somnifum) is the common source of opium and derivatives such as morphine or heroin. All poppies produce the narcotic...
16 views


Sylvia Rose
Apr 14, 20245 min read
Pistachio: Turpentine, Resin & Nuts
Pistacia is a shrub or tree prized for food , resin, tannins, oils and natural turpentine for thousands of years in the Mediterranean...
39 views


Sylvia Rose
Apr 5, 20246 min read
Ancient Grains: Wheat, Barley, Millet, Rice
Wheat, barley, millet and rice are four of the ancient grains, going back to the Neolithic agrarian revolution c. 10,000 BCE. Ancient...
76 views


Sylvia Rose
Mar 15, 20247 min read
Verdigris: Coveted Blue Green Copper Pigment
Verdigris is the green rust or patina on copper, created as the metal reacts with oxygen in the environment. Copper corrodes green to...
71 views


Sylvia Rose
Dec 20, 20234 min read
Giant Cinnamon Birds of Arabia
Cinnamon birds appear in folklore of Eurasia shortly after Arab merchants begin trading with ancient lands to the north. Cinnamon enjoys...
76 views


Sylvia Rose
Dec 19, 20235 min read
Cinnamon - Spice Trade of Ancients
Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum ) is the oldest known spice in the world. The fragrant bark comes into popular use by c. 2000 BCE, when Egyptians...
53 views


Sylvia Rose
Dec 17, 20233 min read
Nigella Sativa: Black Seed of Healers
Nigella sativa or kalonji is a blackseed plant with healing properties. Use in cooking and folk medicine is documented by the 2nd...
42 views


Sylvia Rose
Dec 15, 20233 min read
Carnelian - Sunny Gems of the Ancient World
Carnelian (early: cornelean ) is already used in the Stone Age to make beads. Pebbles of the reddish orange gemstone might be polished by...
67 views


Sylvia Rose
Dec 13, 20234 min read
Jade - Jadeite, Nephrite & Jade Roads
Nephrite jade is the foremost commodity to travel along the Pacific Coasts of the East. The seaway route is the original Jade Road named...
63 views


Sylvia Rose
Dec 8, 20234 min read
Myrrh - Mystique, Death & Divinity
Myrrh ( Commiphora sp) has a history older than humankind. Deeply connected to death, healing and the divine, myrrh is a smoky, strongly...
66 views


Sylvia Rose
Nov 6, 20234 min read
Bronze Age Ancients - Catacomb Culture
With the favored practice of naming early civilizations after their grave types, here is the Catacomb culture. The progressive and...
26 views


Sylvia Rose
Oct 31, 20233 min read
Kanesh (Kultepe): Kārum City of Trade
The ancient town of Kültepe (Kultepe, Kanesh, Kaneš), where the earliest writing originates, rises to a prosperous trade city and kārum ...
41 views


Sylvia Rose
Oct 28, 20234 min read
Gold - Precious Metal of the Sun
Early prehistoric use of gold is for religious purposes, ornament or decor. In 1500 BCE, Thutmose of Egypt decrees gold to be used for...
144 views


Sylvia Rose
Oct 27, 20234 min read
Trzciniec - Bronze Age Baltic Culture
In the Bronze Age, the Trzciniec culture (2400 - 1300 BCE) occupies areas of Central-East Europe in Poland and parts of Lithuania....
28 views


Sylvia Rose
Oct 24, 20235 min read
Sulfur (Sulphur): Underworld Treasures of Ancients
Abundant in native form, sulfur (sulphur) is a mysterious and essential component of natural life. All living things contain sulfur. It...
115 views


Sylvia Rose
Sep 18, 20235 min read
Rhinestones: Sparkling Treasures of the Rhine
The mighty Rhine River is famous for legends, mystic secrets and hidden treasure, including small sparkling rock crystals known as Rhine...
79 views
bottom of page