Join The Gardens Trust and Gillian Hovell and discover how the ancient Romans set the seeds of the shape and uses of our modern gardens. Explore the truly ancient, vibrant and fascinating origins of our personal garden spaces and of the grandeur of public gardens. Find out why, if the Romans could have had ‘House and Garden’ magazines, they would have reveled in them! See gardens anew through ancient kitchen gardens, mythological stories, attitudes to wildlife and public parks that all still flourish in our green spaces. Then stroll through the gardens of Roman Pompeii, now blossoming with new insights. This fourth session on March 5 will follow wildlife elements in Roman gardens.
The gardens of ancient Rome were full of life for the Romans often encouraged birds, wildlife & pets into their garden spaces. Their inclusion of wildlife in their gardens was to shape our own modern welcome to birds and animals. But their attitudes to those creatures were definitely a product of their time. How and why have our views altered? And what really hasn’t changed much at all?
We explore which animals were part of garden life, and what the Romans wrote about their roles: enjoyment, produce, status, and even engineering and art too flourished alongside the other side of the coin – the need for pest control. How did they get rid of the ever-ubiquitous and timelessly unwanted vermin and pests? Were their methods merely organic, or something more complex …? See how gardeners, even 2,000 years ago, tried inventive methods to care for their nurtured plants.
After graduating with 2-1 (Hons) in Latin and Ancient History from Exeter University, Gillian Hovell worked in BBC Television and became an award-winning freelance writer, author, public speaker & broadcaster in the media and online. As an independent expert in the ancient world she specializes in archaeology, prehistory and in the Greek and Roman eras. She is a lecturer at York University and can be seen and heard on TV & Radio.
Gillian has excavated at major sites in the UK and Europe (hence ‘The Muddy Archaeologist’) and she shares her expertise and her passion with diverse audiences in the UK and internationally. For history and archaeology are everywhere, and they add colour, depth and meaning to every aspect our lives today.
Her series of The Muddy Archaeologist Online Courses enables you to explore ancient history, archaeology and Latin with her at any time. An ever-growing collection is available, and they can also be found on Gillian’s website here.
This ticket (REGISTER HERE) is for this individual session and costs £8, and you may purchase tickets for o the entire course of 6 sessions at a cost of £42 via the link here. [Gardens Trust members may purchase tickets at £31.50 for the series or £6 each talk]. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards.
