Archaeological garden

Plants and gardens in the Early Middle Ages

he archaeological garden is currently under development.

It will be divided into three or four parties to present the plants, vegetables, cereals and fruit trees known to the Early Middle Ages.

The different plants you can see were used for daily consumption and also for medicine and clothing.

The garden is very simple. We did not want to reproduce here the well-known monastic gardens of the abbey of St. Gall, dating from the ninth century. This is a garden as it could be in a village in Merovingian Gaul.

The garden includes several species or varieties of plants, like dye plants (the tansy), textile plants (flax and hemp), and also medicinal plants. Eventually, cereals as spelled, barley will be grown.

Sources

or the Merovingian period (late fifth to early eighth centuries), information is scarce but there are still two direct sources:

- Salic Law
- The archeology through analysis of macro-remains: seeds, kernels and pollen (palynology)

For the Carolingian period, the main source is the "Capitulaire de Villis", dated 795 and attributed to Charlemagne, who cites 88 names of cultivated plants. This Capitular cites 88 names of cultivated plants. The identification of crops is not always easy and is still being investigated.

Previously, from the seventh century, Theodosius of Tarsus had developed the plan of the monasteries in which the Benedictines proceeded with introductions and reintroductions of plants. Thus we reached the plane of the monastery of St. Gall (which was never built), which describe the plants grown at the time.

plan of the monastery of St. Gall

>> See also the page on the Merovingian food and cooking

Crops

Cereals

asic component of Germans nutrition (like Gaul). Consumed in the form of bread, cakes of boiled flour (see Salic Law Title 48 p 167).

The existence of mills is evidenced by the Salic law (Title 24 1-2-3 p 81).

The analysis of macro-remains and pollen and the discovery of silos and barns at many sites confirms the culture of wheat, rye, oats, barley, spelled, millet.

Other crops

Legumes: peas, broad beans, lentils (Title 35, Chapter 29 Art. 13)

Turnips, parsnips, cited in the Capitular of Villis and the Salic law (Title 9 art. 13)

The vine, as attested in the Ile de France (Ecuelle and Villiers-le-Sec) and the Salic law (Title 8 Art. 3, Title 10 art. 11, Chapter 29 Art. 23). Wine is a luxury product for a social elite.

Fruits: apples, pears (Title 29 art. 8.10 Salic law), peaches, plums, walnuts, hazelnuts. Franks knew grafting of fruit trees (under 29 Art. 16).

Crops in the archaeological garden

Here is a list of perennials presented in the Garden: dill (Anethum graveolens), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), sage (Salvia officinalis), agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), savory (Satureja), onions (Allium fistulosum), white mustard (Sinapis alba), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), common rue (Ruta graveolens), lovage (Levisticum officinale), celery (Apium graveolens), pennyroyal (mentha pulegium), mint (balsamita major), great burdock (Arctium lappa), Soapworts (saponaria sp.), madder (rubia tinctorum), tansy (Tanacetum balsamita), or woad (Isatis tinctoria), feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), yellow chamomile (Anthemis tinctoria) ...

We must add the parsnips (panistica sativa), broad beans (Vicia faba), lentil (Lens culinaris), grains that we sow every year, and we can gradually introduce other species.

We don't despair of obtaining finally capricious Woads (Reseda luteola), which gives a yellow light if in dying, but it does not grow where we want.

 

Park map

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