Description
Book SynopsisFocusing on the transitional period of the late Republic to the early Principate,
Trees in Ancient Rome offers a sustained examination of the deployment of trees in the ancient city, exploring not only the practicalities of their cultivation, but also their symbolic value. The Ruminal fig tree sheltered the she-wolf as she nursed Romulus and Remus and year's later Rome was founded between two groves. As the city grew, neighbourhoods bore the names of groves and hills were known by the trees which grew atop them. From the 1st century BCE, triumphs included trees among their spoils and Rome's green cityscape grew, as did the challenges of finding room for trees within the congested city.This volume begins with an examination of the role of trees as repositories of human memory, lasting for several generations. It goes on to untangle the import of trees, and their role in the triumphal procession, before closing with a discussion of how trees could be grown in Rome's urban spaces.
Trade ReviewThe Roman encyclopedist Pliny the Elder noted that trees were the source of more benefits to humankind than any other part or aspect of nature. This volume offers an in depth discussion of the fundamental importance of trees to the cultural fabric of ancient Rome. -- Annette Giesecke, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Table of Contents1. Trees in Urban Spaces: An Introduction 2. Memory and Trees 3. Bringing Trees to Rome 4. Trees in the Triumph 5. Keeping Trees in the City 6. A New Leaf Appendix Notes Bibliography Index
