Caesar’s favourite herb was the Viagra of ancient Rome. Until climate change killed it off
Of all the mysteries of ancient Rome, silphium is among the most intriguing. Romans loved the herb as much as we love chocolate. They used silphium as perfume, as medicine, as an aphrodisiac and turned it into a condiment, called laser, that they poured on to almost every dish.
histoire clim.What lessons can we learn from the last great cooling-off period?
In early February 1814, an elephant walked across the surface of the Thames near Blackfriars Bridge in London. The stunt was performed during the frost fair, when temperatures were so cold that for four days the top layers of the river froze solid.
histoire clim.Die Historiker entdecken das Klima
Stadtmauer von Xi'an aus der Ming-Zeit: 1644, drei Jahre nach einem Vulkanausbruch, ging die Dynastie unter. (Foto: Lu Fuyuan/Shutterstock) Ist das noch Zufall? Wissenschaftler haben den Zusammenbruch von 68 chinesischen Königs- und Kaiserdynastien untersucht.
histoire clim. SuisseHistorischer Vulkanausbruch – 18 Monate Dämmerung, fünf Jahre ohne Sommer
Verheerende Vulkanausbrüche veränderten den Lauf der Geschichte. Zu einer prägenden Katastrophe kam es im Jahr 536. Noch immer rätseln Forscher, wo genau. Besorgt schauten die Menschen im Jahr 536 in den Himmel.
histoire clim.Antarctica was once a rainforest. Could it be again?
The coldest continent on Earth used to be as warm as Italy. Here’s how we know. Not far from the South Pole, more than half a mile below the ocean in a region that was once covered by ice, a layer of ancient fossils tells a surprising story about the coldest continent on Earth.
Arctique & Antarct. histoire clim.
