Herbert E. Wright

August 10, 2025, 6:48 PM

The word Artemisia is linked with the name of the Greek goddess of vegetation, ARTEMIS, and has the root syllable art, meaning 'bear.' The Bear is a universal symbol of healing. Sage was extremely common in the ancient world, and its scent may evoke deeply imprinted memories, even for Europeans. From thirty-five thousand to eleven thousand years ago (35,000-11,000 years ago) the northern Mediterranean region, including North Africa, Spain, Greece, Italy, Iran, and Syria, was dominated by cool, dry steppes covered with artemisia (see endnote #19 on page 361)."

From Page 361, Endnote #19:

Herbert E. Wright, "Environmental Change and the Origin of Agriculture in the Old and Newa Worlds," in Origins of Agriculture, ed. Charles A. Reed (The Hague: Mauton, 1977).

Artemisia was a common medicine in ancient Europe. In ancient Rome, artemisia absinthium tea was drunk during sacred rituals and was used as a medicine for colitis and other digestive disorders. It was even part of the prize, a gift of health, for the winner of the four-horse chariot race, symbol of the power of the Roman Empire. See Wilhelmina Feemster Jashemski, "A Pompeian Herbal: Ancient and Modern Medicinal Plants" (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999)."