What are "spices?"
The trade in “spices” accelerated during the height of the Roman Empire due to the ever-increasing demands of the wealthy and ruling classes for exotic luxury goods. In classical times the term “spices” meant much more than flavorings for foods. Religious rituals required the burning of resins and incense to invoke the gods, to expel evil spirits, and to pay tribute to the emperors. “Spices” came in the form of ointments, powders, wood, bark, roots, resins, and herbs and were used in countless ways.
§ Perfumes in powders (aromata)
Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt used cinnamon as an aromatic as early as 1,500 BC; the henna-flower perfume of the Romans had cardamom added; rose perfume included ginger-grass. Both spices were first soaked in wine.
§ Preservatives (for embalming)
From earliest times, the Egyptians used rich mixtures of spices, including cloves as part of the mummification process. Upon the death of Nero’s wife, Poppaea, a year’s imports of perfumes, including cinnamon, were sprinkled on her body for embalming.
§ Incense for religious ceremonies (thumiata)
Egyptian temples burned a rich compound of spices known as kuphi. Julius Caesar’s triumphant entrance into Rome was preceded by attendants who carried jars of burning spices as if he was a god. Romans threw 210 loads of spices onto the funeral pyre of Scylla.
§ Fumigants to purify the air
In the Ganges Valley, burning aloeswood was used both as a perfume and as a fumigant for use after surgery; the Romans used cinnamon to protect clothing from moths.
§ Ingredients in healing ointments and medicinal drugs
Hippocrates, the Greek physician, prescribed pepper as a cure for disease. Dioscordes, an army physician, wrote Materia Medica on the function of spices and for their prescriptive uses for healing. His text lists twenty two pure, aromatic oils prescribed for specific ailments, such as safflower, sweet bay, myrrh, and myrtle, as well as twenty four compound ointments (made from herbs, resins, fragrant roots and woods) to be used for healing).
§ Antidotes against poisons (theriaca)
Crateuas, a famous physician, mentions a concoction using 36 ingredients; these include cumin, cardamom, anise, cassia, ginger, Indian nard, and myrrh. Mixed with honey and wine, it was said that one could withstand the strongest poison.
§ Love potions and magical charms
§ In cosmetics
§ For anesthesia in surgery
Early Greek writings mention the use of cloves and other spices for use during surgery.
§ For flavoring food and wine
Used to preserve foods as well as to flavor since earliest times. The world's first cookbook was written by a Roman named Apicius. The 478 recipes, primarily for the rich man’s table, were of wide variety and included exotic ingredients and use of imported spices such as pepper, ginger, oil of cinnamon and turmeric.
§ As a valuable medium of exchange
Alaric of Goth demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper from Rome in exchange for not sacking the city in 408 CE.
The sea trade was risky and often dangerous. It was also time-consuming and could take one or two years to complete the voyage. Myths and legends surrounded the origins of spices. Often traders were ignorant of the true origin of exotic goods they carried. It was also advantageous to conceal the source, because the strangeness and rarity of these spices meant that profits could be from forty to one hundred times the investment.
The trade in “spices” accelerated during the height of the Roman Empire due to the ever-increasing demands of the wealthy and ruling classes for exotic luxury goods. In classical times the term “spices” meant much more than flavorings for foods. Religious rituals required the burning of resins and incense to invoke the gods, to expel evil spirits, and to pay tribute to the emperors. “Spices” came in the form of ointments, powders, wood, bark, roots, resins, and herbs and were used in countless ways.
§ Perfumes in powders (aromata)
Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt used cinnamon as an aromatic as early as 1,500 BC; the henna-flower perfume of the Romans had cardamom added; rose perfume included ginger-grass. Both spices were first soaked in wine.
§ Preservatives (for embalming)
From earliest times, the Egyptians used rich mixtures of spices, including cloves as part of the mummification process. Upon the death of Nero’s wife, Poppaea, a year’s imports of perfumes, including cinnamon, were sprinkled on her body for embalming.
§ Incense for religious ceremonies (thumiata)
Egyptian temples burned a rich compound of spices known as kuphi. Julius Caesar’s triumphant entrance into Rome was preceded by attendants who carried jars of burning spices as if he was a god. Romans threw 210 loads of spices onto the funeral pyre of Scylla.
§ Fumigants to purify the air
In the Ganges Valley, burning aloeswood was used both as a perfume and as a fumigant for use after surgery; the Romans used cinnamon to protect clothing from moths.
§ Ingredients in healing ointments and medicinal drugs
Hippocrates, the Greek physician, prescribed pepper as a cure for disease. Dioscordes, an army physician, wrote Materia Medica on the function of spices and for their prescriptive uses for healing. His text lists twenty two pure, aromatic oils prescribed for specific ailments, such as safflower, sweet bay, myrrh, and myrtle, as well as twenty four compound ointments (made from herbs, resins, fragrant roots and woods) to be used for healing).
§ Antidotes against poisons (theriaca)
Crateuas, a famous physician, mentions a concoction using 36 ingredients; these include cumin, cardamom, anise, cassia, ginger, Indian nard, and myrrh. Mixed with honey and wine, it was said that one could withstand the strongest poison.
§ Love potions and magical charms
§ In cosmetics
§ For anesthesia in surgery
Early Greek writings mention the use of cloves and other spices for use during surgery.
§ For flavoring food and wine
Used to preserve foods as well as to flavor since earliest times. The world's first cookbook was written by a Roman named Apicius. The 478 recipes, primarily for the rich man’s table, were of wide variety and included exotic ingredients and use of imported spices such as pepper, ginger, oil of cinnamon and turmeric.
§ As a valuable medium of exchange
Alaric of Goth demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper from Rome in exchange for not sacking the city in 408 CE.
The sea trade was risky and often dangerous. It was also time-consuming and could take one or two years to complete the voyage. Myths and legends surrounded the origins of spices. Often traders were ignorant of the true origin of exotic goods they carried. It was also advantageous to conceal the source, because the strangeness and rarity of these spices meant that profits could be from forty to one hundred times the investment.