583. ANCIENT ROMAN VILLA GARDENS, Jashemski. This book consists of a series of lectures on various aspects of Roman gardens. Each chapter is by a different scholar.
Chapter One- Ancient literary evidence for the Pleasure Garden of Roman Country Villas- Littlewood. By Cicero’s time a pleasure garden included the house, garden, agricultural land, the sea, river, lake, if nearby, and surrounding countryside. The earliest pleasure garden known was that of Scipio the Younger. Cato in his De Agricultura mentions that the house should be well arranged to make visits a pleasure and inviting. ( I am not too keen on his label- pleasure garden) Cato the Elder discusses the nine parts of an estate and places the vineyard as the most important part. 2nd place goes to the watered garden. He suggests that location near town a good idea in order to sell produce. Thus Cato combines need for beauty and usefulness.
C. Marius built a fine villa near Misenum. Littlewood says that it may have been dull and boring because someone said that Marius used his skills as general in building a military camp. I suggest another take on this- Roman camps were known for speed of construction- maybe that is the skill Marius brought to bear. Anywho Lucius Licinius Lucullus purchased it. One of the villas owned by Lucullus had the aviary combined with triclinium so that guests could watch the birds while they dined. Romans loved the taste of birds- all types, song birds included. Cicero had 8 estates. The one at Tusculum has been tentatively identified with Poggio Tulliano, 12 miles from Rome. For the most part Cicero in his letters when he mentions his villas, says that he is reading or writing. In Q.Fr 31.5 Cicero writes of his brother’s gardens mentioning: bath, promenade, aviary, fish pond, colonnade, fountain. In one letter light and the importance of it was part of a discussion. (This pretty much sums up what was characteristic of Roman house/gardens.)
M. Terentius Varro had tamed boars which came when a horn was tooted. I had a pet pig named petunia who came when called by name. She would squeal for attention. So this is no surprise to me.
Pliny the Elder says that P. Licinius developed the fish pond for income and pleasure. Remember Cato’s remark? He gained the nickname Murena from the Latin word for moray, a fish.
As one can imagine some wealthy went hog wild over this- no surprise, people have not changed.
There are Romans who dined in the woods. Not much is made of this. The spectacular stuff usually occupies the mind of most people. My guess is that many ate this way. Cheap, easy to get to, no upkeep, cleaning to do. Just enjoyed the wood or fields combined with the view. Remind me of the guy Pliny mentions in the Natural History who used to sleep in the hollow of a huge tree. Why? He enjoyed it. He was with nature and made him part of the experience.
Some info in Catullus and Lucretius. I wonder if it is assumed that such dining was common. Horace admires a garden near the house, a spring and above the view of a woodland. In Epode 2.23-28 Carmen he loved to eat under a shady tree, on the grass with a running stream nearby. Take a snooze, eat a meal with friends while wearing their garlands and drinking wine. Horace’ estate conformed nature to human use in a natural setting. A place for Gods and humans to inhabit. Not in a conceited sense or arrogant sense but in a religious sense. A harmony of human existence and the harmony of the gods who brought so much beauty to life. Ovid wrote while in his garden (Tr. 1.11.37). Columella wrote his book about gardens in dactylic hexameter.
Pliny mentions topiary gardens. These may have been invented by C. Matius, a friend of Cicero. Vines were trained around buildings, column to column, cypress trees shaped into ships. Pliny discusses trees, type of shade each gives, food provided, wood uses.
Statius mentions a house where a large tree was left in place and the house built around it. Martial mentions groves, springs, shade of the vine, irrigation water, meadows, rose garden, pond, columbaria for birds.
Littleton calls Hadrian’s villa outrageous. I find this very hard too accept. Too much of value there for study of development of architecture and evidence is growing that the villa provided ideas for architects to employ elsewhere.
Pliny’s villa was on a slope, meadows and grain fields were visible nearby, double row of shrubs led to vineyard. Thus vineyard had a use but walkway which led to it was inviting and attractive. He had a walled garden whose wall was hidden by a hedge. A garden with a bed of acanthus, ever changing vistas, seats all over the place, small fountains in each area. Walkways scented with violet beds. In his Laurentine villa he mentions the salubrity of the place. A place of peace. These are often mentioned as desirable qualities.
Authors mention the joy of hearing warblers, bleating sheep, nightingales, twittering swallows, rooks, honking swan, cicadas, frogs nearby and in the distance.
Chapter Two: Recently Excavated Gardens and Cultivated Land of the Villas at Boscoreale and Oplontis- Jashemski.
At villa of L. Crassus Tertius no garden yet but he had a barn and in it was hay, now carbonized. In it has been identified: grape vines, leaves, small branches, alfalfa, lupines, clover, red clover,vetch, wild chrysanthemum, violet, flax, hypericum, papaver, rhoas, mallow. She suggests that the hay field was in the vineyard and the the abundance of flax means that a flax field was near by. Also found six tons of pomegranets. What use these had no one knows.
Boscoreale had six surges with pumice layers in between. The 5th destroyed what was not buried already. This preserved the trunks and low plants for future excavations. A portion of the vineyard has been replanted.
She found evidence of 4th and 5th century excavations. This was so valuable for me as I have always wondered where so much of the stuff went. For centuries people came back to dig and plunder. Can’t say as I blame them.
Umbrella pines bordered the driveway. Figs have been found near the house. Usually these were near the house, makes sense. The apple orchard near my grandfather’s place was only 50-75 feet away.
Olive trees mixed in the vineyard. Other trees were peach, walnut, cherry, apple. A garden at one house was in small plots and the paths doubled as irrigation channels. Bones of sheep/goats, pigs, dog, toad martin chickens have been found.
The Villa of Poppaea has 13 gardens. Trees were often planted directly behind a statue. Herms were often placed among clumps of oleander. Murals around a small garden were painted to make the garden look bigger. I question this. A house this size, if large gardens were desired, built them. Small gardens would have been for that purpose to be small gardens. Why make them look big? I think that these murals may hold key to the gardens and were meant to coordinate with those gardens and enhance. Just an idea.
Chapter 3. The Sculpture of the Villa of Poppaea. Stefano de Caro.
Built in middle of lst century BC. 5,000 square meters. 44 sculptures have been found so far. Much of the sculpture was scattered. Not in original position. Earthquake of 62 put heavy damage on the house. Was in process of restoration when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. If this villa was owned by Poppaea who was wife of Nero and then murdered, this may account for slow work on fixing things up after earthquake.
But head of Venus has been found, makes sense for a garden. Fine cipolino columns, Family portraits with traces of paint- red hair-that is interesting. Dionysus in the garden- also makes sense. Child with a duck. This is a common theme. A neoattic bell crater which was a fountain was at the head of the pool. Statues around the pool apparently looked at the pool-( just like those at Hadrian’s villa.) Some of these show signs of paint but marble is white. Must have looked impressive in front of brown of the bark and the green leaves. One Venus is unbuckling her sandal. She apparently wore a pair of earrings. She is in spiral form. I suggest that this may have been to show in graceful and elegant way the beauty of a woman. Her hair was yellow. Sandals were red. This would have increased presence of her body. Most sculpture is associated with the gardens. The sculpture of people were probably family members who were placed in garden among gods- to declare attributes those had with those gods/goddesses.
House of Loreius Tiburtinus was turned into a caupona, an inn. A row of 49 amphorae have been found along the wall. A dolium emerges from the ground. A dolium is a large earthenware barrel. These indicate an inn.
The room at the opposite end of the biclinium was a triclinium/relaxation room. This place was a fine dining establishment indeed. (The number of groups gathered throughout the place would have only added in Roman eyes to the pleasantries. I need to explain- I enjoy the crowds at Christmas- human masses only add to the pagentry and beauty. How boring such a time or dining would be in isolation.)
The House of Iulia Felix is a few blocks from Tiburtinus. There is a huge water triclinium. Pool had a double purpose: beauty and place for guests after removing shoes to wash feet before dining as was customary before a meal.
Large banquets (upwards of 30,000 to 60,000) put on by general/politicians during the Republic and by emperors during the Empire were made possible by the manner in which gardens were designed. Pools fed by fountains, water was used to mark off areas and help artistically to arrange these areas. Pergolas, roofed with vines, were combined with these to provide shade (these grapes were also harvested I learned in Linda Farrar’s book), long colonnades along river banks, lake shores, pavilions, water also provided air conditioning- water was connected with these things for two reasons: beauty and function. There was no master plan, no need, Roman method of design allowed for adaptation and adjustment from one area to the next. These areas are where guests would dine. I am sure that a great time was had by all.
The Villa of Hadrian- Canopus (Pinto calls the Scenic Triclinium).
The stibadium (dining couch) is very large. Area in front of this was for water triclinium. Area behind stibadium on raised level was where Hadrian ate. I have trouble with this. Hadrian walked about almost unguarded. He was easily attacked while in Spain on a tour of a mine. He fought the attacked with a happy ending. He proudly went to bathe in public establishments, he was easily approached by a woman desiring to present a petition while he was busily on his way to the theater. It makes no sense that he would worry about dining at the Villa. He may have eaten here, but on those occasions with a few friends. But when big feasts were offered, he ate with everybody else. Just as Trajan is shown on the Column of Trajan among soldiers and officers. Things changed with Commodus but that was later. I am done. To the left and right of the stibadium are pavilions. People ate here too.
Stadium- another banqueting area. A large complex. I am excited to see it again.
Water Court. Another dining area. There is a cryptoportico on either side of the court. Nice shady place, if it was hot. Many statues found here. Here the author says that Hadrian dined as a regular guest. Many reflective pools, An amazing irrigation system has recently been excavated by Jashemski. Evidently it was designed during the construction process so that no one ever had to carry water to water the plants. It was always ready for a banquet session.
Not all villas had fountains. Some used the sea, rivers, lakes.
Chapter 4. Town in Country and Country in Town. Nicholaus Purcell.
In the country Romans enjoyed views of the country side with other villa mixed in. Owner and architect took into account the appearance of the villa from other villas. Their love of landscape was centered on the city. (Romans did not look upon buildings as an intrusion upon nature but part of nature, nature enhanced the building and the building enhanced nature.)
A villa urbana could be a country villa in the city, a city villa in the country and a villa simply huge like a city with the attributes of a city. Thus towers were built to give view of far way places and of the villa itself. (The shapes of domes, vaults, curves angles etc are pleasing to the eye. Think about it- what makes a crystal so beautiful? Part is color or clarity, part is the shape- the juxtaposition of angles.) Villas often included solitudines, empty place, we would say undeveloped land.
Chapter 5. Montmaurin- Garden Villa. Jean-Marie Pailler. Water is nearby. Sloping ground, statues in the garden- one of Adonis who was symbol of growth and death cycle of plants. Everywhere there are marks and signs of religion.
Chapter 6. Land Use at the Via Gabinia Villa. Walter Widrig. No evidence of latifundia here. I find this interesting but that is all he says on this. View of country was apparently pleasing. (My grandfather’s farm was very simple but the view down the 1/4 mile lane was/is a sight to behold).
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