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.The Botanicum
The ancient world of plants
… was the annual theme of 2006 in Kalkriese. In that year an extraordinary garden was laid out - the Botanicum - in which one can find anything from »A« like anise to »Z« like zucchini which also could be found in an ancient garden and the corresponding cuisine.
Not only in the kitchen did plants play a role - although this role was rather pleasant and tasty - they were also used as personal hygiene, cosmetics and remedies.
The archaeological verification of an ancient garden is difficult. Its traces often disappear in the course of time. With a little luck, however - plus keen-eyed archaeologists - calcified root casts of long-gone plants can be found in which their last remains are preserved. These floral remains, but also seeds and pollen, help archaeobotanics to identify the plants which used to grow here.
In the Rhenish coal mining district between Cologne and Aachen a Roman “villa rustica”, an upper-class country house, was found in which a vegetable garden, an orchard and several types of trees were evident.
The beauty of the plants was appreciated, too. The Roman cities which were buried by the Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD were adorned by ornamental gardens with sculptures and fountains. Small artificial streamlets were very popular and offered pleasant coolness in summer.
In addition, one could bring a garden atmosphere into the house. The wallpapers of today were painted walls in the past. Artistically fenced-in gardens, the bushes of which were populated by various birds, were painted onto the walls in lavish colours.