“Miniature gardens” of Romans

Vegetation and love of greenery were known to ancient peoples, especially the Greeks and Romans. The Romans, as a typically agricultural people, referred to nature and appreciated the presence of plants in their surroundings.

According to Pliny the Elder, in the early history of the Roman state, the lower classes of Rome (probably during the city’s development into a large urban centre) used to put pots with plants, creating a kind of “miniature gardens” and recreating provincial realities. With time, however, more and more burglaries began to occur and the residents were forced to bolt and close their windows.