Garden Archaeology: The Secrets Ancient Gardens Keep

Wilhemina Jashenski working at 
Pompeii (photo courtesy of of the 
Archaeological Institute of 
America).

It has been brought to our attention that April is National Garden Month. Not only that, but our North Central office is located at beautiful Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park. So we thought it was an appropriate time to discuss garden archaeology. Yes, that is indeed a thing (and the green thumbed archaeologists are quite excited about this)! Wilhemina Jashenski pioneered the archaeological study of past gardens in the 1950s during her excavations at Pompeii. She was the first non-Italian to work at Pompeii. It was a unique opportunity because frescos were preserved in some of the buildings that depicted  the ornate gardens of the time. Jashenski made castings of ancient plant roots at the site using a method usually used to cast human remains. These casts help her to identify the plants that were being grown at Pompeii.

Gardens have long been a part of culture and daily life for many different societies. So much so that they are often the setting of  significant stories or the stuff of legend, such as the Garden of Eden or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the Seven Wonders of the World). Throughout human history gardens have served numerous purposes. Some were simply ornamental and used by the elite as a show of status and a place to enjoy the simple pleasures that nature had to offer. Other gardens were culinary or medicinal, or used to grow plants for commerce or trade. Some may contain exotic plants not naturally found in an area, giving archaeologists and historians a glimpse into possible trade routes and

Joya de Cerén, located in El Salvador, known as
the Pompeii of the Americas (photo courtesy
of UNESCO).

patterns. As technology has improved, archaeologists have been able to not only tell the location of past gardens, but also what plants they contained and what those plants were used for. Again, plants provide archaeologists with a unique insight into the past. And when you consider all the uses for plants, this insight is very valuable. 

One very interesting instance of garden archaeology is  at the Mayan site, Joya de Cerén, often referred to as the Pompeii of the Americas because it was preserved under a layer of volcanic ash. Here archaeologists uncovered a 70 acre garden that included the preserved remains of agave that was used to make rope and twine, and cane that was used for wattle and daub construction. Also discovered was the earliest instance of manioc cultivation in the New World! This site is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a major tourist attraction in El Salvador. Without these well preserved plant remains we would not have as detailed an understanding of Mayan agriculture. Plaster casts were also used at this site, similar to the way Jashenski used them at Pompeii. The site also contained preserved gardening tools, sleeping mats made from plant matter, and pots filled with beans!

Funerary Garden in Egypt, note the tamarisk 
shrub remains in the upper left corner (photo
courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine).

Another fascinating garden archaeology find were the Egyptian funeral gardens found in Luxor. They were presumed to have existed based on Egyptian literature and art, but it wasn't until recently that archaeological evidence was discovered. The remains of these gardens were buried under more than 15 feet of debris and are about 4,000 years old! The 10 by 6.5 feet raised garden bed was divided into squares.  Archaeological evidence, along with ancient writings and art, show that it would have contained fruit and vegetable plants, as well as flowering plants. It was intended as an offering to the dead.  Dates and other fruits were found in containers at the site and are presumed to be  offerings as well. This garden was located at the entrance of a burial tomb and the plants in the garden would have played a role in funeral rites and ceremonies. In one corner of the garden, archaeologists found a tamarisk shrub that stood upright, its roots and trunk still attached. Not only do sites such as this provide us with a very interesting peek at Egyptian funerary traditions, but they also provide scientists with information about the environmental conditions of the time.