Gardens and Gardeners
of the Ancient World
Linda Farrar
WIND gather PRESS Contents
List ofIllustrations vi
Picture Credits X Acknowledgements xi Time-Chart xii Preface xiii
1. Egyptian Gardens 1 2. Gardens of Ancient Mesopotamia and the Near East 36 3. Gardens of the Greek Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean Cultures 71
4. Greek Gardens and Groves of the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic Periods 88
5. Etruscan Gardens 128 6. Roman Gardens 138
7. Byzantine Gardens t-H OO \s\
8. Islamic and Persian Gardens 211
9. Medieval Gardens 244
10. Conclusions 280
Select Bibliography 289 List of Illustrations
Umm Al-Rasas, xv I. Pomegranate tree, mosaic detail, Jordan
xvl1 2. Sacro-Idyllic scene
Min seen in his 3 3- The Egyptian fertility god temple 3 4- Detail of Osiris in white mummy wrappings
in wooden or ceramic Osiris Beds 5- Barley seeds were sown 3 of Pharaoh 6. Circular tree/plant pits for a sacred grove beside the pyramid Sneferu, Dahshur 6
at Deir el-Bahari 7- Reconstruction of three funerary temples 7 8. Relief depicting the transport of incense trees from Punt 7
9- "The Botanical Garden, Karnak Temple 9
10 Hathor emerging from the side of a mountain through papyrus 9
11 Middle Kingdom relief depicting water-carriers and gardeners 12
12 Gardeners pick cucumber-like melons; the lettuce symbol of the fertility god Min 12
13 Detail of a vintage scene, a process undertaken in many gardens 13
14 Figurative hieroglyphs 13
15 Wooden model of a part of a house and garden 17
16 A flower filled garden around a well stocked fish pool at Amarna 18
17 Plan of the house and garden of Meryre, High Priest of Amarna 19 18 Sycomore fig tree with tree goddess dispensing nourishment for eternity 20
19 Plan of Sennefer's garden. Tomb of Sennefer, Thebes 21 20 Doum palm tree (Hephaene thebaica). Silsila, Upper Egypt 22 21 Argun palm tree (Medemia argun). Tomb of Pasedu, Deir el-Medinet 22
22 Visitors arrive through the garden. Tomb of Neferhotep, Thebes 23
*3 Flame coloured flowers of Pomegranate (Pumca granatum), Cyprus 23
24 Ipuy's house and garden. Tomb of Ipuy, Thebes 24
Carob tree represented in the Tomb of Menena, Thebes 2 5 26 Nebamuns fruitful garden, Tomb of Nebamun, Thebes 26
27 Irrigation channels provide water for a row of trees and flowers next to a crop of wheat 27 28 Details of flowers painted in the Tomb of Ramesses III, Thebes 28
29 Nakht, the court florist, with one of his finest bouquets 28 The River 30 Euphrates and the Mesopotamian Plain, seen from Syria 36 of 3i Map Mesopotamia and the Levant 37 List ofIllustrations vii
32 Seal stone depicting divinities and a snake on either side of a sacred tree 38
33 Seal stone from Mari 39
34 Ninhursag (Ki) the Sumerian goddess of vegetation and fecundity 40
35 Detail of the goddess Inanna and her symbolic standard of reeds 4i
36 Detail from a large fresco from Mari 43
37 Akkadian gardeners tending trees and irrigating the plants in the garden 45
38 Impression from a seal stone depicting women in a garden picking dates 46
39 An Assyrian minor deity is seen fertilising a sacred date palm tree 49
40 Sargon's garden at Khorsabad, with a bitanu pavilion and boating lake 5i
4i Sennacherib's garden at Nineveh 52
42 Assurbanipal and his queen quaffing wine and feasting in their garden 53
43 Reconstruction of the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon 57
44 A reconstruction of the large formal gardens at Cyrus's palace 61
45 Relief at Persepolis representing cypress trees 62
46 A Persian style paradeisos game park depicted in a fresco at Pompeii 65
47 The great Mother goddess sitting under a tree, holding poppies 72
48 Impressions from seal rings with scenes of a tree cult 73
49 A selection of flower motifs on Minoan pottery 74
5° Drawing of lilies in a slender banded vase from Akrotiri/Thera, Santorini 75
5i Mycenaen goblet with a motif depicting a plant growing in a container 75
52 Reconstruction showing the lily frescoes in Room 7 at Amnisos, Crete 76
53 Sand lilies on the Island of Santorini 77
54 Fresco fragment showing dianthus-like flowers 77
55 Reconstruction of flower garlands from a Minoan fresco 78
56 Minoan fresco depicting a garden landscape with tame monkeys 79
57 Circular enclosure with two trees, Room 5 of the West House, Thera 80
58 Reconstruction suggesting a rock garden for crocus and other plants 81
59 Details of men from Keftiu from an Ancient Egyptian fresco 84
6o Hercules in the Gardens of the Hesperides 90
6i An olive tree sacred to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis, Athens 9i
62 Detail showing Dionysus from a Greek red-figure vase 92
63 Narcissus hopelessly gazing at his own image 94
64 Apollo pursuing Daphne 95
65 Flowers depicted on 5 th~4th century bc Greek coinage 96
66 Rose flower depicted on the reverse of a coin from Rhodes 97
67 Landscaped gardens such as at Stourhead were inspired by
the Classical world 101
68 Roman marble relief depicting a lady making a sacrifice in front
of a cave sacred to Pan 102
69 The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens: two rows of tree pits with plant pots in each 103 viii List ofIllustrations
have been in the pits 104 jo. Myrtles and pomegranates replanted Plato in his Akademy grove 106 71. Roman mosaic illustrating discussing with fruit 107 72. Red-figure vase girls picking 108 bowl of to his mother 73. Eros offering a seedlings Aphrodite in northern 109 74. Adonis flowers {J\Aonis annua) Cyprus northern Greece 111 75. Plan of the Palace at Aigai, 76. Plan of the Hellenistic palace at AT Khanoum 113 el 114 77. Palace of Hyrcanus at Araq Amir, Jordan el 78. Leopard fountain at the Palace of Hyrcanus at Aracj Amir, Jordan 115 121 79. Bust of Theophrastus, Greek philosopher
122 80. Dioscorides examining a mandrake plant Etruscan bronze mirrors 81. Garden scenes and stylised plants engraved on 132
82. Detail of a stylised plant, possibly an arum 133
83. Detail from an Etruscan mirror depicting crown grafting on a tree 135 84. Venus accompanied by cupids and her sacred flowers roses 140
85. Detail of a sacrifice before an altar and statue of a goddess 144
86. Plan showing three different forms of a Roman house with garden 147 87. Reconstruction of the peristyle garden at the House of the Vettii 148 88. Map of central Rome showing several public portico gardens 150 89. Two miniature frescoes depicting trellis fences forming 'garden rooms* 15 2—1 5 3
90. Simple reed fences line a garden path at the House of the Chaste Lovers 156
91. Outdoor dining couches 157
92. The remnants of a biclinium al fresco dining area and shrine 157
93. Terminal busts of a janiform herm 159
94- An oscillum wfrich mimics the form of a pelta shield 159
95. A Roman sundial 159
96. Terracotta amphorae were used to provide fish refuges at the House of the Triconch Hall 160
97. Typology of Roman pools 160
98. Restored garden with a gutter water-basin running around three sides 161 99. A water garden, House of the Water Jets 161 100. Three intercommunicating pools with central fountain in the garden of the Villa at Piazza Armerina 161
101. A freestanding water-stair fountain 163
102. Mosaic and shell covered shrine to a water nymph, Pompeii 163
A sea cave that 103. was convened into a dining area for the Emperor Tiberius 164
An arborilor trees in 104. grafting a mosaic of the calendar year 169 Sinuous lines of the 105. topiary hedge bordering a path at Fishbourne Roman Palace 169 106. The verdant frescos from Livia's Garden Room at Primaporta 172 List ofIllustrations ix
107. Reconstruction of a gardeners bench with facsimile Roman flowerpots 173
108. The sweet rocket or dame's violet (Hesperis matronalis) 173
109. Hadrians luxurious dining area beside a vast pool 175 no. Miniature fresco of climbing plants 176 hi. Garden Plans 177
112. St Phocas, the market gardener from Sinope, northern Turkey 186
113. Early Christian Church with atrium garden 188
114. Fresco of Jonah reclining under a gourd tree 191
115. Detail from a mosaic depicting a Paradise filled with trees and animals 192
116. Mosaic showing white marble walls in a garden setting with a tree, and arching foliage 193
117. Pinecone fountain in a marble cantharus bowl 193
118. Mosaic showing Isaac blessing his son Jacob in his garden 194
119. Rebecca at the well 195
120. A deputation of elders meet Caiaphas in his ornamental garden 196
121. House and garden of Egdon, king of Moab 197
122. Gregorys garden 197
123. Christ and Apostles reclining on a stibadium dining couch 200
124. Gladiolus byzantinus, Crete 200
125. The Garden of St Anne, mother of Mary 202
126. A two-tiered shallow, rectangular, box-like fountain 203
127. Aspects of agriculture and horticultural husbandry in the Homilies of Gregory Nazianzos 206
128. Horticultural workers using bident forks and pruning hooks 207
129. Paradise as a garden 212
130. Abbasid Palace beside the River Tigris, Samarra 214
131. Detail of a Persian gardener using a long handled spade with foot rest 216
132. Plan of an Islamic house with courtyard gardens at Valencia 217
133. Umayyad palace at Madinat al-Zahra, near Cordoba 218
134. A woman looks out over her garden 219
135. Walkways surround an elongated pool flanked by sunken garden beds 223
136. Reflecting pool, Court of the Myrtles, Alhambra, Grenada 223
137. Reconstruction of the layout of a Timurid garden of the 15th century 231
138. A prince seated in his garden 233
139. A Timurid walled garden 234
140. Part of the plan of the monastic gardens at St Gail, c.ad 820 247
141. The Physic garden at St Gall 248
142. Eighteen plant beds in the vegetable garden at St Gall 248
143. Recreated rustic garden at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum 250
144. Details of a hortus conclusus enclosed by a lattice fence 253
145. Detail showing a walled hortus conclusus of a manor or dower house 256 X List ofIllustrations
146. Maugis and La belle Oriande in a scene of courtly love in a garden 258
147- Violets growing in the bas de page scene 259
148. A cartwheel frame used to support plants in a garden with raised beds 260
149- Lady holding a finger pot to water choice plants 260
150. A Rhenish painting depicting The Garden ofParadise 262 i5i. Manuscript border filled with realistic flowers 263
152. Detail of a castellated hortus conclusus in Love's Game of Chess 268
153- Woodcut from the Roman de la Rose 269
154- Illustration from the Roman de la Rose 270
155- Garden fresco, House of the Marine Venus 281 156. Fresco detail with garden plants, House of the Golden Bracelet 282
157- Recreated medieval garden at Tretower Court, Wales 286