In the shade of a solitary grove.” From royal gardens to idyllic landscapes

Abstract

The development of gardens is examined, starting with Persian gardens through the epic of Alexander, to arrive at the gardens of royal palaces of the Hellenistic age, in which gardens were part of the palace design. At the same time, within the Hellenistic courts, and notably in Alexandria, idyllic poetry was born, creating a genre that lasted until late antiquity.