Gardens and Gardeners of the Ancient World by Farrar Linda;

Author:Farrar, Linda;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology
ISBN: 4504947
Publisher: Windgather Press
Published: 2016-02-29T05:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 84. Venus, the prime Roman deity associated with the garden’s fertility, accompanied by cupids and her sacred flowers roses. Demi-lune mosaic, Macktar Museum, Tunisia.

Bacchus merged with Liber the old Italic male god of fertility. Bacchus was forever associated with wine and merry making, therefore his sacred plant was the vine often shown with large bunches of grapes. His symbol was either vine leaves, a bunch of grapes, or a wine drinking cup. Before a feast a libation of wine would be poured to honour the god. Bacchus retains Dionysus’ links to the theatre and therefore theatre masks were also used as an allusion to this god.

Venus was the most important of all the Roman garden deities, she was an ancient Latin goddess who was noted as a ‘protectress of the garden.’5 Venus was primarily concerned with the garden’s fertility, but increasingly she became associated with man’s fertility after her syncretism with the Greek Aphrodite. Venus was known for her great beauty and her capacity for pleasure; her associates are the three Graces. Her sacred animal was a hare (and the rabbit). Of the birds the dove, swan and sparrow were sacred to her, and her sacred flowers were the rose and myrtle. The apple also became a symbol of the goddess after she was awarded one as a prize in the mythical beauty contest between herself, Juno and Minerva.

Flora was originally a Sabine (Italic) goddess of Spring and flowers, and all blossoms; she was introduced to Rome in their earliest days. The Roman poet Ovid wove a Greek-style myth around her.6 He recounts how after her union with Zephyrus (the west wind) Flora’s breath clothed the ground and the trees with flowers. Flora was given eternal youth and thereafter she cared for young people in the flower of their youth. She was generally worshipped by all who wanted to ensure that flowers would blossom on their trees, and on their vegetables, herbs and crops, as well as garden flowers. Flora had a festival of her own, the Floralia, which lasted 6 days, 28 April–3rd May. During the rather licentious festival every man and beast wore garlands of flowers, mostly of roses. In art Flora is represented bedecked with flowers.

Pomona was a Latin goddess of fruit trees, she had no Greek counterpart. Her name derives from the Latin poma meaning fruit, the pomarium being a fruit-garden or orchard. Her role was in the care of fruit trees; from their cultivation, welfare and fruit gathering to grafting and pruning. Ovid weaves a wonderful myth about how Pomona was a young virgin who spurned all male advances, until Vertumnus finally wooed her after trying numerous disguises.7 Vertumnus’s name is said to have come from the verb vertere, which means to turn or change, and this partly explains his ability to change shape and guises. He also presided over the change of the seasons and horticulture. After their union Vertumnus takes on many of Pomona’s attributes. They are both represented as figures carrying

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