Hiera
Hiera liber de simplici medicina antiquitus berbena.
Apparatus:
Whole entry missing in f
Hiera AC | Hicta ul' hieia B ('er' misread as 'ct' and as 'ei') | Hibera ms. e {contamination with Hiberia or Hiberis?}
antiquitus AC | antiquus (ãti- e) B e
berbena ABC | barbena ms. e
Translation:
Hiera is the name for berbena {"vervain"} in a book on simples medicines written in antiquity.
Commentary:
Hiera is Greek ἱερά /hierá/ "holy, sacred", short for ἱερὰ βοτάνη (hierà botánē/ "sacred plant".
There is also a compound version of this name: ἱεροβοτάνη [/hierobotánē/, see Ierabotani, Ierabotanum.
Simon's book on simples medicine from antiquity is Ps.-Dioscorides, De herbis femininis [[1]], 54, ed. Kästner (1896: 629), where the short form of the name is used: Hiera. Quam latini verbenam vocant. – "Hiera, which Latin speakers call verbena". And it goes on to explain the motivation for the name: Ideo a Graecis nomen accepit, quod sacerdotes eam purificationibus adhibere consueverunt – "For this reason it takes its name from the Greeks, because the priests used to employ it in purifications".
The fuller name ἱερὰ βοτάνη /hierà botánē/ occurs in a chapter of the same name in the Greek Dioscorides, Wellmann, 4, 60, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: II.213), and in the Longobardic translation, 4, 66, ed. Stadler (1901: 30). De gera votane. It is also mentioned in Pliny, 25, 59, 105, ed. Rackham (1938-63: VII), who emphasises the importance Roman culture affords this plant, which he also calls verbenaca.
Botanical identification:
Most authors agree that it is Verbena officinalis L., "common vervain" [[2]], [[3]].
For further information see Berbena.
Wilf Gunther 28/11/13
