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Roman Flower Crowns: Ancient Memory and Modern Techniques

The ancient Romans were commonly depicted in sculpture and paintings wearing crowns made of laurel, ivy, olive, and various flowers and greenery. Yet, few, if any, examinations of these objects have been made in contemporary scholarship, in spite of the meanings they held for those who were awarded and wore the various crowns.

The talk will begin with a discussion of the historical and archaeological evidence for the crowns. In particular, we will explore their associations with the social memory of particular events. For example, some crowns were awarded in honour of a brave deed. The receivers of these crowns were legally permitted to wear and keep them throughout their life as a reminder of their part in an event. The ultimate tribute was when an individual’s crown was placed on the funeral pyre to recall the incident and/or act of bravery.

In the second part of this talk, some experimental archaeology will be incorporated to demonstrate how the Roman crowns might have been made. Understanding ancient techniques can be used to inform environmentally sustainable floral design practices today. Crowns reminiscent to those in ancient Rome are still used and are mainly worn for weddings and music festivals. Modern head pieces are made with wires, tapes, and sometimes plastics that do not bio-degrade. Recalling ancient ways of creating floral crowns may help to alleviate some of the problems faced in the floral industry today.

Dr. Patty Baker, Honorary Associate Professor, University of Kent and Founder of Pax in Natura www.paxinnature.com 

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