A Brief History of Indoor Plants: How the Ancient Egyptians started the 5,000 year-old trend
by Shahinda Abdalla
Wall fragment from the tomb of Nebamun depicting an ancient Egyptian garden, about 1350 BC (Image Source)
Though the distinction between inside and outside was much more fluid in the past, it seems that this practice of co-mingling between humans and plants inside has been going on for millennia. The history of keeping plants indoors is intertwined with the histories of both container-gardening and indoor-gardening which find their roots in ancient Egypt. When the ancient Egyptians first began to use plant containers (or flowerpots), they primarily used them outdoors as a way to securely move plants from one place to another. The pots they used were terra cotta, made from the widely available material — clay. Clay pots were great for plants that crave a drier soil. The un-glazed clay pots allowed air and water to move freely through the walls of the pot. Today, we still use clay pots for planting in warm, dry climates. When it came to indoor gardening, for the ancients their main purpose at first was mystical. Indoor gardens were designed as a central feature of temples. They then came to feature in the tombs of the wealthy and then into their homes. For the Egyptians, a garden was a mystical creation — a sort of offering to the gods. Gardens were named just like buildings were named. According to a paper by Alix Wilkinson on the Symbolism and Design in Ancient Egyptian Gardens, “Tomb gardens were intended to be places where the soul of the dead could find rest and refreshment. The form which resulted from these requirements was a courtyard filled with trees, under which stood a basin of water for the soul, as bird or human, to drink.” Each plant grown in these gardens was intentional and held a particular symbolic meaning. For instance, date palms were connected with the sun god Re, doum palms with the moon god Thoth, and lettuce was connected to Min, a fertility god. The function of temple gardens was to produce the floral, vegetable, and fruit offerings needed for the rituals of the gods, as well as for the perfumes used for anointing the statues, and to provide for the staff of priests and those working in the temple. But gardens weren’t just limited to religious rituals, they were associated with love and eroticism and were often places where lovers met and where music, dancing and drinking took place. Ancient Egyptian gardens were made by architects, some of whom are known by name to this day. Two of the most famous are: Senenmut, who advised Queen Hatshepsut, and Amenophis, son of Hapu, who designed Amenophis III’s monuments (1390-1353 B.C.).
A gardener pouring water from the bucket of the shaduf into a runnel which leads into the brick container holding a date palm. Image Source: Norman de Garis Davies, The Tomb of Nefer Hotep at Thebes (New York, 1933) found in Symbolism and Design of Ancient Egyptian Gardens by Alix Wilkinson
“The sacred gardens of ancient Egypt at Thebes and Amarna were decorated with many of the garden features which survived through Roman and Islamic times, and became fashionable in eighteenth-century Europe.”, writes Alix Wilkinson noting that the Egyptians’ main practical problem at the time was the provision and control of water which they remarkably managed to overcome by creating canals and pools inside and in front of their buildings by the constant use of the shaduf (a hand-operated device for lifting water for the purposes of irrigation) and bucket. These ancient gardeners’ success was spectacular and influenced the care and cultivation of plants for many hundreds of years later.
Funeral ritual in a garden, Tomb of Minnakht, about 1479-1425 BC, The Met Collection (Image Source)
From these beautiful gardens that the ancient Egyptians created came the creation of flower arrangements that at first were offered to the gods and then decorated their temples, palaces and ceremonies. The beauty of flowers fascinated the ancient Egyptians. In the Old Kingdom, a single flower or simple bunches of blue and white lotus or papyrus stems were common in offering scenes. These simple floral arrangements gave rise to much more elaborate bouquets during the New Kingdom. Other than the rise in floral displays inside the home, we can thank the ancient Egyptian garden for bringing in the potted plant inside. From flowers in vases to ferns and an eclectic variety of palms, the ancient Egyptians started one of the longest-lasting trends of all time. For at least 5,000 years now, humans have been living with plants inside. What might’ve started as home decor, today we know has benefits that extend beyond aesthetics — indoor plants are known now to improve air quality and mental health. Today, there are over 10,000 species of houseplants available commercially. So maybe when you return home today and take a glance at your beloved green housemates, be sure to thank the creativity of a group of people who lived a very very long time ago.
Seven lotus-filled vases nesting in a shallow bowl on a table. Tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhpotep. (Image Source)