The Ancient Rose of Pompeii

The double red rose is without a doubt the species most commonly found in ancient Pompeii, both in terms of pictorial representation and mentions by classic authors. It has been variously identified, in the past, as a plant related to the Gallic rose. But can we exclude the contribution of an Oriental rose in a red, reflowering and fragranced rose? The peach (Prunus persica) was widely cultivated in Italy in Roman times; it was originally a species of Chinese origin that the Romans discovered…