Different purposes of a garden in Europe can be seen
throughout history. For example, gardens were a place to express religion. In
order to express their religious beliefs in gardens, Europeans would build
statues of religious figures. The religious portrayal in European gardens can
be seen below with the river that flows out of Eden that divides and becomes
four branches.
(https://forum.disabroad.org/bbcswebdav/pid-197966-dt-content-rid-602993_1/courses/garden_1502213/05%20SP%2015%20The%20Mediæval%20Garden.pdf)
Since religion has always been a strong influence in many
lives, even today, it makes sense that the garden will express religious
beliefs. The garden also served as a haven of escape from the noise of the main
house. Since religious prayer is usually done in silence, it makes sense for
the quiet getaway to also be a place of prayer.
In ancient Europe, in particular Rome, gardens were a tool used by the wealthy to flaunt their power and money. The picture below is a reconstruction of the garden of the House of Vettii in Pompeii.
_01.JPG)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Ricostruzione_del_giardino_della_casa_dei_vetii_di_pompei_(mostra_al_giardino_di_boboli,_2007)_01.JPG)
Water features were essential to the gardens of the high class
individuals because the water features were expensive and showed wealth. The
garden in the picture above can also be described as a peristyle. The origin of
the peristyle garden was in the Hellenistic period, which began as a courtyard
in the center of Greek houses (http://www.ancienthistoryarchaeology.com/ancient-roman-gardens).
. This could have possibly have arisen to protect the garden from
outsiders including outsiders and animals. Especially in the Mideaval times,
where there wasn’t always peace, with a peristyle garden, it will be protected
from intruders.
There are many parallels that can be found between the ancient
garden and a garden in present day Rome. Below is the park Villa Torlonia
located in Rome. This was built in the 19th century.
The
function of this garden is very similar to one built in ancient times. Gardens
are still used as an escape from the noisy outside, and they are also used for
leisurely activities by the public. In more modern times, it seems like the
garden has shifted from a private space near a house, to a public place to
socialize. Private gardens today still exist, but the larger gardens are able
to serve the society as a whole. For example, a park in a big city creates a
getaway for the busy city resident to relax and enjoy greenery with the rest of
people in the city.
Both of the gardens above are more decorative gardens for
relaxation purposes. There were functional gardens in both ancient European
history and Europe today; however, the way they were/are essential to the
culture is self-explanatory. The functional gardens were/are mostly for growing
food, an essential part of life, so it makes sense to why the functional
gardens were so apparent, especially in ancient Europe. Below is a picture of a
garden used to grow food.
_01.JPG)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Ricostruzione_del_giardino_della_casa_dei_pittori_al_lavoro_di_pompei_(mostra_al_giardino_di_boboli,_2007)_01.JPG)
This is a reconstruction of the garden of Casa Del Pittori in Pompeii. The
fences were used to keep animals away from the food. These gardens were very
essential to the culture of the house because most, if not all, of the food for
the house was grown here. Without gardens, the culture of Europe would not have
developed into the culture it is today.
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