THE AEGEAN GARDEN

In this paper I attempt to identify possible gardens, as opposed to na tural landscapes, in Aegean artistic depictions, Scenes of nature occu r in various media, but most extensively in frescoes. The Aegean garde n remains elusive in art because of the artists' tendency to render pl ants and floral settings in idealized and fantastic ways. An exception is a possible formal garden depicted in the well-known floral fresco from the Minoan villa at Amnisos. Generally, however, the Aegean garde n must have consisted of a natural landscape that was modified only in limited and subtle ways, through cultivation and other means. Importa nt in the search for clues for such modifications are representations of cultivable types of flora, and activities in which people and anima ls interact with floral settings. It is suggested here that a Minoan g arden may have existed in the east wing of the palace at Phaistos. Thi s is a rocky outcrop with fissures and holes that may have been plante d with flowers. As can be seen from a newly made topographical plan, t he rock was trimmed with tools and incorporated in the architectural p lan of that area of the palace.