Ancient Roman Gardens and the Origins of Formal Gardens

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K13384
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 03040:History of Europe and America-related
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Kawamoto Yukiko 名古屋大学, 人文学研究科, 准教授 (70780881)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 古代ローマ / 庭園 / フォーマル・ガーデン / 建築 / ポンペイ / 哲学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Formal gardens adorned with trimmed plants have been regarded as the repertoire of Roman gardens. The basis for this belief comes from the evidence of ‘opus topiarium’ and trimmed plants in Latin texts. Wall paintings, descriptions in texts, and excavated Pompeian gardens suggest that the Romans had densely planted gardens resembling natural groves, challenging our previous conception of Roman gardens. This project aimed to reassess how ancient Roman gardens were described in texts, and to understand how ideas of Roman gardens had been transmitted and adapted in later European gardens.
Due to the pandemic, the archival work was restricted. However, this research had successfully shown that ancient literature was not evidently influential when formal/ornamental gardens and mazes were constructed in England during the 16th century. In addition, this research presented that Greek philosophy played an important role when ornating architectural and garden settings in ancient Rome.

Free Research Field

西洋古代史、西洋古典学、建築学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

西洋の庭園に見られる「フォーマル・ガーデン」の起源は、古代ローマにあると考えられてきた。しかし、本研究により16世紀イングランドに登場するフォーマル・ガーデン的特質を持つ庭園造形は、古代の著作が影響を与えるようになる以前から存在していた可能性が高いと明らかになった。また、古代ギリシアの哲学が庭園や建築に与えた影響力の高さも判明した。このように、本研究は文化の伝播とその形成の一側面を示したと考える。