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Explore the meaning of the presence both of gods, and of a host of characters drawn from the realm of myth, to the Roman garden. Presented by Dr. Annette Giesecke.
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Meeting ID: 857 1603 8404
Passcode: 987708
In the shadow of Mount Vesuvius lies a most interesting domestic garden. This botanical oasis, which contains some well-preserved garden murals, forms the focal point of the ancient Pompeiian house known today as the House of Venus in the Shell. The house’s garden, situated to be visible from every room around it, has been laid out symmetrically in two myrtle-lined beds of roses and topiary divided by a path.
As one approaches the path, a vivid mural painted on the wall at the garden’s end comes into view: the goddess Venus reclining in an oversized conch shell that floats on a blue-green sea. Accompanying her are winged Cupids, one riding a dolphin through the waves. To either side of the seascape densely planted gardens populated by a variety of birds have been painted. Recognizable among the plantings are shrubs of oleander and myrtle in flower, rose bushes laden with red blooms, diminutive pines, a clump of southernwood, as well as fruit-bearing strawberry trees and cherry plums. Both painted gardens, one containing a bubbling fountain and the other a statue of Mars, are decoratively framed by a garland of ivy with a theater mask signaling Bacchus’ presence.
These various gods and mythological personalities, such as Venus, Mars, Bacchus, the strongman Hercules, the self-absorbed Narcissus, and the star-crossed lovers Pyramus and Thisbe, had strong ties with nature and plant life, and their presence enhanced the religious or paradisiacal quality of the garden. What’s more, even if god and mythological characters were not represented in garden art, so many garden plants had ties to the world of myth that the Roman garden was always filled with an otherworldly aura.
At the conclusion of the program please feel free to take a brief online survey here:
https://www.projectoutcome.org/responses/52540
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