Saffron is the most precious spice of the ancient world. It comes from the bright red stigma and stiles, or threads, of the saffron crocus flower (Crocus sativus). Up to 200,000 flowers are needed to yield 1 kg (2.2 lb) of saffron.
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Saffron as a medicinal and sacred herb is used for millennia. The earliest known use of saffron is as a color in cave paintings dating back to 50,000 BCE.
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Per weight, saffron is literally more precious than gold. In ancient Egypt, Pharaohs use saffron as a flavoring and as an aphrodisiac. It's an offering to the Gods and also used to perfume baths, homes and temples.
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Minoan palace frescoes use and portray saffron by c.1600 BCE, possibly as a healing treatment. Legends tell of the most precious saffron threads originating from Cilicia.
Spread along the southeast coast of Anatolia (Turkey) and partly bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Cilicia has been settled from c. 8700 BCE. In the Bronze Age the rocky coasts and sheltered coves are ideal for pirates.
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Saffron is among the spices of the Bronze Age trade routes. The routes are founded on the Amber Roads, created through centuries of travel and exchange of Baltic amber and other desirable items such as copper and salt.
The mythical story of the crocus origin has many versions. In one of them, in ancient Greece, Crocus is a young man who wants out of his love affair with the nymph Smilax. The gods turn him into a plant bearing his name, the first saffron crocus.
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The gods also transform Smilax into bindweed. The thorny climbing plant bears bright red berries beloved by birds, but not humans.
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In late Ptolemaic Egypt, Cleopatra uses saffron in her baths, as per tradition, to enhance pleasure of lovemaking. In Egypt, saffron is also a treatment for gastrointestinal problems. In ancient Levant saffron is used as fabric dye.
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The deep golden orange dye is extracted by boiling the saffron threads. Greek courtesans, the hetaerae, use saffron in bathing waters, cosmetics such as mascara, scented oils, medical treatments and potpourri. The Roman Aulus Cornelius Celsus prescribes saffron in medications for wounds, cough, colic, and scabies.
It's one 65 species to be named as potential ingredients in the mithridatium, a magic health potion. Phoenicians market saffron both as a dye and treatment for melancholy.
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Because saffron is so expensive, the famous saffron colored robes of Buddhist monks are not dyed with saffron. The dye used is ochre or turmeric, a common herbal substitute.
The monks wear the same color robes to show equality. In popular color theory orange is associated with enlightenment. Saffron is given as an offering at various temples or sacred sites. Romans use it in spiced wine and juselle soup.
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During the Black Plague or Black Death of the fourteenth century, saffron is in demand as an ingredient in medications and possible treatments. Trade ships travel from Europe to the Mediterranean and near East to stock up on saffron.
The heist of a loaded ship by pirating nobles in Italy causes a 14-week Saffron War. Piracy and theft are ongoing threats to merchants of saffron. Throughout history saffron is the most expensive spice known.
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Saffron is popular in cuisines of the world including Arab, Indian, European, Persian and Asian. Although it's native to the ancient near East, the Greeks are the first to cultivate the saffron crocus. It's soon introduced throughout Europe and later, the Americas.
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