A thorn in the flesh: roses, rose gardens, and health in Greek and Roman antiquity

Abstract

This article examines the numerous ancient remedies that include roses and places them in a broader context. It suggests that these medicines’ efficacy was partly explained by the association between the flower and the goddess Aphrodite/Venus. Vast amounts of roses were needed in the production of ancient drugs, especially when these included rose oil. This article therefore attempts to shed light on the labour that was involved in growing, transporting, and preparing rose products in antiquity. It aims at finding traces of people who worked with roses. These workers, some of whom were likely enslaved, are usually invisible in the written record, but insight into their working practices can be found on frescos and mosaics. On these artefacts, workers are either presented in their human form or as cupids, the attendant of Venus/Aphrodite. I conclude that the labour involved in producing rose-based medicines depended largely on enslaved people, whose wellbeing suffered for the health of medical consumers.