Silphium is the second perfume of Stora Skuggan and is a perfume inspired by a mythical and forgotten plant that was the most popular spice during Greco-Roman antiquity, more precious than cinnamon and saffron. The plant with olfactory and medicinal virtues was so sought after that it was harvested until extinction about 1,500 years ago. The team of Stora Skuggan discovered this plant by chance by deepening their research on incense from the time of classical antiquity. This spice is a perfect inspiration for our collective: a precious and extinct material associated with the North African and Mediterranean cultures of antiquity with olfactory, medical and even sexual connotations. "The question was not why we wanted to interpret it, but why no one had done it before," says Olle Hemmendorff, perfumer and co-founder. The lost smell of Silphium was recreated using a combination of aromatic molecules, incense, spices, precious woods and leather. "It was placed in an aromatic environment similar to a market in Egypt or Athens during classical antiquity as we imagine," says Tomas Hempel, perfumer and co-founder. The design of the bottle interprets the inscription of the old coins of Cyrene (Libia) where this precious spice was grown. ABOUT SILPHIUM Until now, the identity of the Silphium plant remains a mystery and, according to historians, it is impossible to confirm that it really existed. It is believed to have evolved and been cultivated in the Mediterranean region during classical antiquity (about 700 BC to 500 AC). It resembled an extinct variety of "giant fennel" belonging to the genus Ferula. Silphium has been highly appreciated as a seasoning, as a perfume and used for many medical and sexual purposes. Silphium was so precious and sought after by the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean region that it was considered worth weight in silver pieces. It is said that the pod of the seed of Silphium inspired the traditional form of the heart that is represented today. The North African city of Cyrene, located on the coast of what is now Libya, is believed to be the only place where Silphium has evolved. The plant constituted the nucleus of the great wealth of Cyrene, and its extinction would have caused the disappearance of the ancient city. The people of Cyrene have never managed to grow Sylphium and are believed to have harvested it until extinction some 1,500 years ago. The only evidence that the plant ever existed is the representations on the ancient silver coins of Cyrene, as well as references in ancient recipes and poems of the Roman poet Catullus.