Identifying and Interpreting a Philosophical Garden at the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum

The Villa of the Papyri is one of the most important archaeological sites from Roman antiquity for its preserved architecture, library, and art collection. All three of these would be truly remarkable in their own right, but their combined presence in one site has drawn scholars to study the villa for centuries. This thesis contributes to this corpus of work by examining the west peristyle garden at the Villa of the Papyri and proposing the presence of a philosophical garden therein. This hypothesis is supported through analysis of ancient authors, archaeological research of the region, and evidence from the villa itself. Special attention is given to the statues of the west peristyle garden. The scheme of the philosophical garden provides a guiding logic to this collection that has often been described as lacking thematic cohesion in scholarship on the Villa of the Papyri. The west peristyle garden functioned as more than a luxurious display context for this art. The design of the west peristyle garden recalls the gymnasia and mouseia of the Hellenistic east in the owner’s attempt to construct an inspirational environment for the contemplation of philosophical lessons in line with the politicized Epicurean teachings of Philodemus of Gadara.