A.N.A. MONEY TALKS Transcript No. 1400 ANCIENT HEARTS Michael E. Marotta Look around . . . heart symbols are everywhere on Valentine's Day. Maybe even on a coin. The first heart symbols that appeared on ancient coins were produced 2500 years ago in North Africa. The town of Cyrene was founded in the 7th century B.C. by Greeks. Their town was eventually destroyed, but it was near what today is the city of Benghazi, along the coast of Libya. The city enjoyed modest prosperity . . . until its inhabitants discovered the silphium plant. (The plant is extinct now, but its closest living relative is a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce.) Silphium was used as an herb. Its stalk was edible. Its pungent sap was the basis for cough syrups, and gave food an interesting flavor. But the most important use for silphium was as a contraceptive. Modern research suggests that silphium actually worked, and because of this, it was in great demand. Attempts to cultivate it in Syria and Greece were unsuccessful. It only grew near Cyrene--and, starting in 500 B.C., it became a steady source of income for the townspeople. By Roman times, silphium had been harvested to extinction. Over the centuries, the silphium plant came to symbolize Cyrene. The plant appeared on the town's gold, silver and bronze coins, starting around 500 B.C. Often the entire plant was shown. But sometimes, only the seeds of the plant were depicted. The silphium's seeds were heart-shaped, and those heart-shaped seeds that appeared on Cyrene's coins eventually came to symbolize love--a symbol that's still with us today. Today's program was written by Michael Marotta. "Money Talks" is aproduction of the American Numismatic Association in Colorado Springs, America's coin club for over a century. Take a tour of ANA's virtual Money Museum on the Web at www.money.org.
Coins for Valentine's Day? In addition to those from Cyrene, there are others with hearts on them. I seem to recall a bronze from the 19th century, and perhaps also a Conder Token... Any others?
