The modern heart symbol (♥) likely derives from the shape of silphium seed pods, which were depicted on ancient Cyrenaic coins.
The modern heart symbol bears little resemblance to the human anatomical heart but closely matches the shape of silphium seed pods as depicted on ancient coins from Cyrene. These coins, dating from the 6th to 1st centuries BCE, clearly show the distinctive heart-shaped seed pods of the now-extinct plant.
Silphium was associated with love and sexuality in ancient Rome, as it was used as an aphrodisiac and contraceptive. This connection between the plant's seed shape and romantic love provides a logical pathway for the symbol's evolution.
The earliest known uses of the heart symbol in its modern form appear in medieval manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries, well after silphium's extinction but consistent with the preservation of the symbol through cultural memory and artistic tradition.
Comparative analysis of early heart symbols in medieval art shows striking similarities to the seed pod depictions on Cyrenaic coins, with the characteristic scalloped top and pointed bottom. Alternative theories about the heart symbol's origin, such as it representing ivy leaves or buttocks, lack the historical evidence and clear visual similarity that the silphium theory provides.