Historical Herbalist: Artemisia II
Introduction
Many herbalists are familiar with the Artemisia genus. For example, this genus includes the herb made famous by absinthe: Wormwood. 1 Furthermore, the namesake of the Artemisia genus is Artemisia II, Queen of Caria, who reigned with her brother-husband, King Mausolus in the mid-3rd century BCE.2 In fact, these siblings co-ruled as husband and wife in modern-day Turkey.3
Famous for what?
Artemisia is renowned as a botanist and medical researcher.5 For this reason, the genus Artemisia shares her name.2 Still, she is more well-known for her sibling marriage and reputation as a naval strategist and commander.5 Artemisia and Mausolus moved the capitol of Caria to Halicarnassus and built a naval fleet of 100 ships.3 Artemisia used their navy ships to conquer the island of Rhodes.5
Lasting Legacies
The Queen and King of Caria are famous for building one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. 3 Because the burial vault held Mausolus’ remains, the word “mausoleum” is now understood to mean a tomb above ground.4 Mausolus died before the project’s completion and Artemisia carried on its construction.3 Indeed, she grieved her brother-husband to such great lengths that there is a legend that she mixed his ashes with wine and drank it. Given that, artists commonly depict her holding a cup.5
Sources
1 – Artemisia (genus) – Wikipedia
3 – Artemisia II (c. 395–c. 351 BCE) – Encyclopedia.com
