Goddess of the Garden: Evidence of Everyday Life and Worship in the Gardens of Pompeii

UNCA Author/Contributor (non-UNCA co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Kimberly Carver, Student (Creator)
Institution
University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA )
Web Site: http://library.unca.edu/
Advisor
Laurel Taylor

Abstract: Gardens were an integral part of daily living in Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. Scholars have discovered that family meals and household production were a regular part of the garden experience. While much academic work has been devoted to the garden spaces excavated within the city, there has not been, as of yet, a focused look at the ways religion may have been practiced in the garden. Venus was an important deity to the Romans, but multiple strands of evidence suggests the people of Pompeii had a special relationship with Venus as a nature goddess. This research focusses on the pervasiveness of the Venus cult in the gardens of Pompeii, in addition to exploring the ways religion was practiced in the garden by studying archaeological, textual, and iconographic data gathered from the garden spaces of Pompeii.

Additional Information

Publication
Other
UNC Asheville - Journal of Undergraduate Research
Language: English
Date: 2014
Keywords
Pompeii, Venus cult, art history

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