The History of Gardening

The history of gardening in the world has an ancient background; however, the initial ideas and origins have always been challenging topics. This book gathers a collection of writings that attempt to depict the early sparks of garden formation in the most important civilizations worldwide. The writings begin with Mesopotamia and extend to Egypt, Greece, Rome, and ancient Iran. Initially, ideas for the formation of axial geometry and symmetrical planting in gardens of Mesopotamia, Iran, and Egypt are presented. Then, the connection between form, function, and meaning in ancient Egyptian gardens is explored, and a kind of typology is proposed. Following this, the status of gardens and gardening in ancient Greece and the types of furnishings in those gardens are discussed. The architectural heritage of Rome in the history of gardening is another part of the book’s essays; topics such as the role of landscape and nature in daily life of Roman people and the structure of their cities and houses are significant subjects in this section. The Achaemenid contribution to the history of world gardening and their innovations and gifts form the concluding parts of the book; initial excavations and recent findings are included here. Finally, the Sassanid palace garden is mentioned.