Gardens of the Roman World

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Inspired by the ancient traditions of Near Eastern, Greek, and Egyptian gardens, Roman gardens are to this day an important influence upon garden and landscape design. Bowe looks to the breathtaking accomplishments of Pompeii, Hadrian's Villa, and Herculaneum, using these archaeological sites to set the stage for his discussion of the development of Roman gardens. A lavish array of photographs helps to illustrate Bowe's finely detailed history, producing a reverie where one can feel the heat radiating from the sun-drenched ruins and imagine the resinous fragrance of Mediterranean plants. Images of reconstructed frescoes depict the elaborate architectural devices and ornamentation that characterized Roman gardens, in which trelliswork and mosaic floors, along with grand belvederes, fountains, and colonnades, shape the space. Flora like Madonna lilies, morning glories, and citrus trees appear as examples of specimens cultivated at the time. Bowe has escorted dozens of garden tours, and here he invites readers to traipse across continents from Turkey's Ephesus to England's Stourhead to the Getty Villa in Malibu, California, for an unforgettable journey. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


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Romans loved their gardens whether they were the grand gardens of imperial country estates or the small private spaces tucked behind city houses. They treasured gardens both as places for relaxation and as plots to grow ornamental plants as well as fruits and vegetables. The soothing sound of bubbling fountains often added further to the pleasures of life in the garden. Romans constructed gardens in every corner of their empire, from Britain to North Africa and from Portugal to Asia Minor. Long after their empire collapsed, the gardens they had so carefully planted continued to exert influence in the farflung corners of their former world. This book describes the variety of Roman gardens throughout the empire, from the humblest to the most lavish, including such well-known places as Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli and the gardens of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The continued influence of Roman gardens is traced through Arabic, medieval, and Renaissance gardens to the present day. Many of the lavish illustrations were commissioned for this book.


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