Gardens of the ancient

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The art of gardening goes so far back into the depth oh history that it’s hard to trace its origin.
 
However the first gardens had a utilitarian purpose only – to grow food – and later on receiving religious purposes, to worship gods or to meditate in.
 
The ancient invasions, dominations and conquering led to assimilation and mixture of civilization and culture and therefore a mixture of styles and concepts.
 
Even garden ideas and designs interfered leading eventually to the birth of ornamental, aesthetical and recreational gardens.
 
The first wind protection is found in Mesopotamia – Irak territory – between Tigris and Euphrates River. To protect their vegetable gardens against sandstorms and desert heat, Mesopotamians planted rows of willows. 
 
The hanging gardens of Babylon – 6th century B.C. – one of the seven wonders of the ancient world was actually built on successive terraces supported by huge columns.
 
The ancient Egypt gardens were a natural extension of the house, with a central water feature – usually a rectangular or T shaped basin and shrubs on all sides of the basin.
 
In Persia – the Iranian Plateau – where the desert is at large, water and vegetation were cherished, gardens being considered small paradises. The ancient Persian carpets tell about the garden style of the Persians. Their gardens were abundant in exotic vegetation, geometrical, with a water fountain, pergola or worship spot at the intersection of the two diagonal water channels that symbolized the sacred rivers.
 
The ancient Greek gardens were religion-tided gardens – funerary gardens and sacred or divine gardens build on the Persian garden principles. Later on, public gardens appeared, with aesthetical and recreational purposes less rigorous than the sacred ones.
 
The ancient Rome gardens were heavily influenced by the art and concepts of the conquered nations. By assimilating the Greek art, Romans began to pay more attention to nature. The typical Roman villa was a term that concerned the whole property: the house, garden and the adjacent buildings. Gardens were geometrical, with water channel, and a water fountain, pergolas, vases and statues. Many box, rosemary or myrtle borders were framing the water channels. The big villas were really complex, with swimming pools, game fields, rest houses etc.