A Cultural History of Gardens in Antiquity

Author: Kathryn Gleason
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN: 9781350009868
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The history of gardens in antiquity is characterized by a rich mix of cultures interacting throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. This period - from the sixth century BCE to the sixth century CE - was foundational to the later periods of garden history. The emergence of advanced horticultural techniques, sustained regional and international trade routes, and centralized power structures promoted the development of highly sophisticated garden culture in both private and public contexts. New evidence derived from archaeology and fresh analysis of literary and visual sources revises our perspective, reminding us that these garden cultures were varied and diverse, yet connected through ritual, trade, conquest, and cultural practices in ways we are only beginning to define.

A Cultural History of Gardens: In the Medieval Age

Author: Michael Leslie
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781847882653
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description

A Cultural History of Plants in Antiquity

Author: Annette Giesecke
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350259276
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Book Description
A Cultural History of Plants in Antiquity covers the period from 10,000 BCE to 500 CE. This period witnessed the transition from hunter-gatherer subsistence to the practice of agriculture in Mesopotamia and elsewhere, and culminated in the fall of the Roman Empire, the end of the Han Dynasty in China, the rise of Byzantium, and the first flowering of Mayan civilization. Human uses for and understanding of plants drove cultural evolution and were inextricably bound to all aspects of cultural practice. The growth of botanical knowledge was fundamental to the development of agriculture, technology, medicine, and science, as well as to the birth of cities, the rise of religions and mythologies, and the creation of works of literature and art. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Plants presents the first comprehensive history of the uses and meanings of plants from prehistory to today. The themes covered in each volume are plants as staple foods; plants as luxury foods; trade and exploration; plant technology and science; plants and medicine; plants in culture; plants as natural ornaments; the representation of plants. Annette Giesecke is Professor of Classics at the University of Delaware, USA. Volume 1 in the Cultural History of Plants set. General Editors: Annette Giesecke, University of Delaware, USA, and David Mabberley, University of Oxford, UK.

Gardens of the Roman Empire

Author: Wilhelmina F. Jashemski
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108327036
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 656

Book Description
In Gardens of the Roman Empire, the pioneering archaeologist Wilhelmina F. Jashemski sets out to examine the role of ancient Roman gardens in daily life throughout the empire. This study, therefore, includes for the first time, archaeological, literary, and artistic evidence about ancient Roman gardens across the entire Roman Empire from Britain to Arabia. Through well-illustrated essays by leading scholars in the field, various types of gardens are examined, from how Romans actually created their gardens to the experience of gardens as revealed in literature and art. Demonstrating the central role and value of gardens in Roman civilization, Jashemski and a distinguished, international team of contributors have created a landmark reference work that will serve as the foundation for future scholarship on this topic. An accompanying digital catalogue will be made available at: www.gardensoftheromanempire.org.

The History of Gardens in Painting

Author: Nils Büttner
Publisher: Abbeville Publishing Group
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Book Description
"This book by Nils Buttner traces the history of gardens, as seen through the eyes of artists, over the course of 2,000 years. The focus of this book is not gardens themselves or different concepts of the garden, but rather the representation of gardens in art. In this study the author explains why pictures of gardens are a mirror of the social, historical, and aesthetic context in which gardens were conceived. He also examines how artists paint gardens by presenting some 185 beautifully reproduced pictures, including full views and details of both well-heralded and little-known masterpieces." "The wide-ranging coverage includes late-medieval devotional pictures featuring Madonnas in idyllic gardens, Botticelli's masterwork La Primavera, an allegory of love, set in a grove of orange trees, that was created for a bridal chamber; sixteenth-century views of well-known historic gardens, like those of the Vatican, which were in demand because of a new interest in geography and topography; realistic depictions of nature, without any attempt to beautify it, by Courbet and other so-called "naturalists'; painters' gardens, like Monet's Giverny; and representations of modern gardens, like David Hockney's Red Pots in the Garden, which are extremely varied in style and reflect the artist's subjectivity. In sum, the carefully chosen paintings in this book represent a progression of developments in art history and foster a deep appreciation for actual gardens as well as paintings of them."--BOOK JACKET.

Garden History: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Gordon Campbell
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191004170
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 185

Book Description
Gardens take many forms, and have a variety of functions. They can serve as spaces of peace and tranquilty, a way to cultivate wildlife, or as places to develop agricultural resources. Globally, gardens have inspired, comforted, and sustained people from all walks of life, and since the Garden of Eden many iconic gardens have inspired great artists, poets, musicians, and writers. In this Very Short Introduction, Gordon Campbell embraces gardens in all their splendour, from parks, and fruit and vegetable gardens to ornamental gardens, and takes the reader on a globe-trotting historical journey through iconic and cultural signposts of gardens from different regions and traditions. Ranging from the gardens of ancient Persia to modern day allotments, he concludes by looking to the future of the garden in the age of global warming, and the adaptive spirit of human innovation. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

A Cultural History of Gardens in the Medieval Age

Author: Michael Leslie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350995479
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 281

Book Description
The Middle Ages was a time of great upheaval - the period between the seventh and fourteenth centuries saw great social, political and economic change. The radically distinct cultures of the Christian West, Byzantium, Persian-influenced Islam, and al-Andalus resulted in different responses to the garden arts of antiquity and different attitudes to the natural world and its artful manipulation. Yet these cultures interacted and communicated, trading plants, myths and texts. By the fifteenth century the garden as a cultural phenomenon was immensely sophisticated and a vital element in the way society saw itself and its relation to nature. A Cultural History of Gardens in the Medieval Age presents an overview of the period with essays on issues of design, types of gardens, planting, use and reception, issues of meaning, verbal and visual representation of gardens, and the relationship of gardens to the larger landscape.

Earthly Paradises

Author: Maureen Carroll
Publisher: Getty Publications
ISBN: 9780892367214
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 152

Book Description
The cultivation of gardens played an integral role in both the public and private spheres of the ancient world. Whether grown as sources of food, symbols of wealth and prestige, or as dwellings for the gods, gardens were nurtured at every level of society. In this beautifully illustrated book, Maureen Carroll examines the most recent evidence for the existence, functions, and designs of gardens from the second millennium B.C. to the middle of the first millennium A.D. in the cultures of the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and the provinces of the Roman Empire. She looks at gardens in their many forms, including house gardens, orchards and parks, sacred gardens and cemetery gardens, and dedicates a chapter to gardens in ancient poetry. She also discusses ancient horticultural practices and the role of gardeners, concluding with a chapter on the survival of ancient gardening traditions in the Islamic and Byzantine worlds, and the perception and depiction of paradise in those cultures. Evidence is drawn from archaeological excavations, which can reveal the remains of gardens that were never mentioned in written sources, as well as from textual, pictorial, and environmental sources. Illustrated with delightful images from tomb and wall paintings, sculptural reliefs and manuscripts, as well as with informative reconstructions and plans, this book provides fascinating insights into the earthly paradises of antiquity. Book jacket.

Gardens, City Life and Culture

Author: Michel Conan
Publisher: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collection
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Book Description
Seeks to understand the roles played by gardens from Roman antiquity to approximately 1850, particularly as they relate to public life in large cities.

Orchid

Author: Jim Endersby
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022642703X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 313

Book Description
The prize-winning history of the orchid: “an engaging and enlightening account of one of the Earth's most mythologized botanical wonders” (Richard Conniff, author of House of Lost Worlds). At once delicate, exotic, and elegant, orchids are beloved for their singular, instantly recognizable beauty. Found in nearly every climate, the many species of orchid have had varying forms of significance in countless cultures over time. Following the orchid’s journey from Ancient Greek medicine to twentieth century detective novels, science historian Jim Endersby explores the flower’s four recurring themes: science, empire, sex, and death. Orchids were a symbol of the exotic riches sought by 19th century Europeans in their plans for colonization. They became subjects of scientific scrutiny for Charles Darwin, who investigated their methods of cross-pollination. As Endersby shows, orchids—perhaps because of their extraordinarily diverse colors, shapes, and sizes—have also bloomed repeatedly in films, novels, plays, and poems, from Shakespeare to science fiction. Featuring many gorgeous illustrations from the collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Orchid: A Cultural History was awarded the Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize by the History of Science Society. It is an enchanting tale not only for gardeners and plant collectors, but anyone curious about the flower’s obsessive hold on the imagination in history, cinema, literature, and more.