Beauty Emerges from the Cool and Damp.

     It's amazing that plants can thrive anywhere. Sights that remain of Ancient Rome, they often attract a variety of plant life. Recently from visiting the Mithraeums in Ostia and the Baths of Caracalla, I couldn't help taking notice to the ferns that started to grow at the ancient cites in the cold, damp and moist points of the site. The most common fern that I have seen starting to grow includes the Maiden hair fern or also known as Venus hair fern. This type of fern is made up of a delicate frond, that then fans out into a lobed leaf. (Merriam-Webster). Specific to the Mithraeums, I also found traces of Great Scented Liverwort. These plants can also be found near water features around the city due to the moisture that comes off it. They also thrive of growing on stones that have more calcium or they grow on limestone in which a lot of the ancient sights are made of. (Merriam-Webster) Within the ancient world of Rome there is reference to plant life growing near the pools of the gardens. They mentioned that the more complex water basins would have little patches of greenery. (Farrar, 160) You would never see a single sprig of the fern plant, it always grows in vast bunches. Overall, this plant is gorgeous, and I find it fascinating to find in the most random of places everywhere. 

Figure 1: Maidenhair Fern found in the Mithraeums in Ostia (photo by author) 

Figure 2: Maidenhair Fern found in the Mithraeums in Ostia  (photo by author) 

Figure 3: Maidenhair Fern found at a base of a fountain at a museum near Termini (photo by author) 

References:

Farrar, Linda. Gardens and Gardeners of the Ancient World. Oxford ; Havertown, PA: Windgather Press, 2016. 138- 184. 

"Venus Hair Fern.” n.d. In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Venus%20hair%20fern.

The Appreciation of Trees

     When you look at the massive trees that surround us today, it makes you wonder when they were planted and how long they have been around for. On our walks to and from the metro I often look at the tree roots we pass by on the path. It makes me wonder again what caused them to poke out of the ground?Also, by looking at them especially with their knots and curls you can start to wonder and appreciate how sculptures and artists depicted tree in their works. Many of the Gardeners back then would also shape the trees that were in the gardens. This would be achieved by looping or tending to them often. (Farrar, 168) Trees are something to be admired, and this was something that Pliny the Elder and Cicero discussed. (Farrar, 169) Specifically they were interested in the creativity achieved through topiarius. 

    To be able to understand which plants used to be around back then, many archaeologists specifically at Pompeii, have uncovered traces of plant pits and root cavities to better understand the vegetation that once was. (Farrar, 172) Common trees found in the gardens included fig, olive and citron. Today the most established plants are the stone pines or umbrella pines. Because you see so many, and they are so giant I wonder why they were planted in the first place. What did they provide and how come we still have them today?

     In one of my found sources, they discuss the need for trees, they wanted the trees to provided shade and trees that provided wine. (Landgren, 21) They also had a funny coloration, with the trees growing bigger they then provided shade for the drinkers. The trees themselves provided many beneficial purposes to people whether  it was for food or for their beauty or for shade in their spaces. 

Figure 1: Cypress trees located Palatine Hill (photo by author) 

Figure 2: Roots of a tree located in Ostia (photo by author) 

Figure 3: Umbrella Pine tree located in Ostia (photo by author) 

Figure 4: The root that grow along the path in the Borghese Gardens (photo by author) 

Figure 5: Tree that grows in Ostia Antica (photo by author) 

References 

Farrar, Linda. Gardens and Gardeners of the Ancient World. Oxford ; Havertown, PA: Windgather Press, 2016. 138- 184. 

Landgren, Lena. Lauro Myrto Et Buxo Frequentata: A Study of the Roman Garden Through Its Plants. Lund: Department of                            archaeology and ancient history, Lund University, 2004.

Plants Emerging from the Rumble

Plants can be found everywhere. But have you ever focused in on where the plants are growing? Most people would answer that they are growing in the ground horizontally. I challenge you to look up. Look up, look up the wall that you are walking by, do you see it, there is vegetation popping out of it. It is better to label them as vegetation rather than weed, to allow them to get more credit and appreciation for their significant. These plants can be found in a varieties of ancient ruins, historical sites and everyday buildings. In some of my images you can see the plants that have emerged in Venice and Rome. They could be on the side of someone's home or on the wall near the Tiber river.

     Commonly the plants that grow out of the walls made of limestone which creates a sub-humid and shady environment, or they can grow from brick walls cemented by mortar, or less frequently from tuff. (Bartoli, et al, 6 & Caneva et al 218.) The plants form in clusters, causing them to be the type of variety that are trailing or climbing. Rain on these walls becomes a primary source of survival for these plants. Plants thrive on sunny areas, but they still require sufficiently wet soil in the core of the rock. Due to the age of many of the ancient ruins and monuments there is generally an accumulation of soil and water that has built up with time and weathering. (Bartoli, et al,7.) Many of the spaces that are growing the vegetation have been around for a while and have gone through changes of growth, chemical alterations and mechanical action that affects the environment. (Caneva et al, 218). In my travels so far around Rome and Venice I found these plants set into the walls: Caper, Spreading Pellitory, Santa Barbra Daisy and Kenilworth Ivy.

Figure 1: Plants growing out of the wall near the Tiber river (photo by author) 

Figure 2: Caper bush growing out of the wall near the Tiber river (photo by author)

Figure 3: Santa Barbra Daisy growing out of the wall near the Tiber river (photo by author)

Figure 4:Spreading Pellitory growing out of the wall near the Tiber river (photo by author)

Figure 5: Kenilworth Ivy growing out of a home in Venice (photo by author)

Figure 6: Trachlkium Caeruleum Growing out of the mill in Ostia Antica (photo by author)

References 

Bartoli, Flavia, Giulia Caneva, and Giovanni Bio. “Natural Habitats of Typical Plants Growing on Ruins of Roman Archaeological Sites (Rome, Italy).” Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with All Aspects of Plant Biology, 2014.

Caneva, Giulia, G. De Marco, A. Dinelli, and M. Vinci. "The wall vegetation of the roman archaeological areas." Science and technology for cultural heritage 1 (1992): 217-226.

Plants Set in Stone

    While you are walking through the Roman cities you can't help but notice the detailed ornamentation of vegetation that spirals around scenes on stone reliefs. Besides the main scenes there was always nature elements that either set the scene or also give you insights into the vegetation that was around at that time. Most commonly you can find Acanthus leaves in most motifs as they were favoured by sculptors. (Jashemski, 85.) They are especially highlighted in Corinthian columns as they are the bases of that specific style. It is curious to focus more on the leaves than the flower of a plant. Even though the acanthus plants have flowers you find a variety of the leaves covering the city in different assortments. The leaves are commonly depicted in as spiny leaves (Jashemski, 86). Acanthus is also shown through there stems, stalks, corollas, leaves, pistils, berries and tendrils. Even though it can be represented differently it still can be easily identified. Specifically, to the Ara Pacis you can find plants such as Dracunulus vulgaris (Dragon Arum), Carlina (thistle), vitis (wine grape), Ecballium (cucumber), Laurus (bay leaf), Lilium candidum (Madonna lily), helianthemum (rock rose), campanula (bellflower), Nymphaea (water lily), and Phoenix Dactylifera (date palm). Many of these plants that have been pointed out could be also as common as the acanthus leaves, but they are not as well known or easily identified. The plants that are represented would have been native to the region, but some could have been common in Greek architecture and their design could have migrated to Italy. With out these plants on the reliefs the scenes would be lacklustre. 

Figure 1: Plants found on the Ara Pacis Museum infographic (photo by author)

Figure 2: Plants found on the Ara Pacis Museum infographic (photo by author)

Figure 3:  Corinthian Column at the Pantheon (photo by author) 

Figure 4: Vegetal Details on Ara Pacis (photo by author) 

Figure 5: Vegetal Details on Ara Pacis (photo by author) 

Figure 6: Vegetal Details on Ara Pacis (photo by author) 

Figure 7: Vegetal Details on Ara Pacis (photo by author) 

Figure 8: Perennial Acanthus plants near the Capitoline museum (photo by author) 

Figure 9: Perennial Acanthus plants near the Capitoline museum  (photo by author) 

Figure 10: Perennial Acanthus plants near the Capitoline museum  (photo by author) 

Figure 11: Perennial Acanthus plants near the Capitoline museum (photo by author) 

Figure 12: Corinthian columns at a church in Rome (photo by author) 

References 

Jashemski, W.F. Plants. Evidence From Wall Paintings, Mosaics, Sculpture, Plant Remains, Graffiti, Inscriptions, and Ancient Authors. Introduction

"The Rediscovery | Museo Dell’Ara Pacis.” n.d. https://www.arapacis.it/en/il_museo/il_ritrovamento.

The Peristyle Garden

        In many of the Roman villa they commonly had a peristyle in their house layouts. Striving from the Greeks the peristyle means an open space with a garden surrounded by colonnades. (Sibelius, 15.) This became a common concept in the ancient Pompeii villas. An excellent example is the House of Vettii or the Villa of Diomede, with its opulent garden in the middle of the complex. Each at different levels of detail, whether it be the central feature of the garden or the types of plants that were planted. Many of the plants that are in the garden vary between shrubs and plants. Especially in the Villa of Diomede you can see the variety from Palm trees to the flowering shrubs of the Oleander. There is also a grand water feature/ pool in the centre. Fun fact the garden at this site is the most evocative area (Archaeological Park of Pompeii.) 

Figure 1: Section of the peristyle at the House of Vettii (Pompeii) (photo by author) 

Figure 2: Ground view of the garden at Villa of Diomede (photo by author)

Figure 3: Plan view of the garden of the Villa of Diomede (photo by author)

        Many of the gardens would include art with sculptures and wall paintings (frescos) and also to what I mentioned other features like pools and fountains (Sibelius.) Many of the fresco that are around the gardens depict scenes of their surroundings. The fresco would be painted in second Pompeian style, meaning that it would be an image of an actual scene in real life. It would project scenes of nature and lounging gods and goddesses. Many of the colours used would be cool tones such as green and blue. In saying that there would be pops of color, especially red to showcase the roses or other various flowers. Many of the gardens in homes were cared for by the slaves of the home. They would also have gardens that assisted the kitchen, producing herbs and vegetables. The shapes that the gardens were placed in made it so that it followed a rectangle. The gardens would be groomed into well-trimmed hedges. These immaculate gardens provided a place for the people living there to have relaxation while they walk, eat, drank, and visited on the daily. 

References: 

Simelius, Samuli. Pompeian peristyle gardens. Taylor & Francis, 2022.

Parco archeologico di Pompei. 2024. “Villa of Diomede - Pompeii Sites.” Pompeii Sites. March 28, 2024.             https://pompeiisites.org/en/archaeological-site/villa-of-diomede/.

What was around then and is still around today.

    Arriving in Rome, I didn't know what to except for plants in the area until I did I little more research and went out and about. Many of the plants that I have encountered so far, I have only seen as a tropical house plant. So, it is a big shift to see them in the "wild". 

    

    While walking through the streets, I've encountered a variety of plants ranging from cacti that intertwine themselves in with plants of more foliage and greenery. Even though more of the desert plants can be found, they are overrun by the greenery. There are many that existed back in ancient Rome and are still prevalent today. Many of the ancient gardens are found in peristyle gardens in the Roman villas. There would have been a mixture of potted plants with small roots (MacDougall, 46). These small, rooted plants would consist of flowers or vines that were intended to climb the column that surround the peristyle. They also had plants that were arranged to align along the garden that were in situ usually around a path, water feature or a variety of sculptures. The grander houses would have had more elaborate gardens. (Giesecke, 11.) I will discuss more about the space in which these plants were located, and the other decoration that reflected the venue. 

 

    Let's get into the variety of plants that are most commonly seen around. Many of them include beautiful flowers. The main variety of plants I have seen are oleander, jasmine, poppies, magnolia, and many citrus plants, like lime, lemons, and oranges. Largely you can see a lot of oleanders and it can be identified by its narrow-pointed leaves and the red flowers that poke out (MacDougall, 47).  I find the poppies that are everywhere the most fascinating. Probably because it is a plant that you can't typically see in Canada. They are often found creeping up into people’s garden both today and in the past.  Back than the poopy was commonly harvested to be used to sprinkle of bread. (Farrar, 145) The common trees that I found out and about most often are cypress pine and mulberry tree. I catch myself mixing up mulberry with Ficus tree as they look very similar. Overall, there is a lot of plants to absorb and appreciate. Also, it is fascinating to think of where they originated and how they were originally used. 

 

Figure 1: Jasmine found on the streets of Rome (photo by author)

Figure 2: Oleander found on the streets of Rome (photo by author) 

Figure 3: Lemon found at the British School in Rome(photo by author)

Figure 4: Poppies found in Pompeii site. ( Photo by author)

References:  

MacDougall, Elisabeth B., and Wilhelmina Feemster Jashemski, eds. Ancient Roman Gardens. Vol. 7. Dumbarton Oaks, 1981. 45-48.

Giesecke, Annette. The mythology of plants: Botanical lore from ancient Greece and Rome. Getty Publications, 2014. 7- 45.

Farrar, Linda. Gardens and Gardeners of the Ancient World. Oxford ; Havertown, PA: Windgather Press, 2016.138-184