Speaker: Chris Epplett
The term ‘paradise’ is commonly used in modern parlance, in large part because of its frequent association with the Garden of Eden in the Bible. The origins of the concept as used today, however, are substantially more convoluted and complicated than might appear at first glance. The paradise, as a venue for the collection of exotic plants and/or animals, has a lengthy history, extending from the earliest periods of Near Eastern history through to the Roman Empire and beyond. As will be seen, the potential
propaganda applications of the royal paradise helped ensure that it survived in a variety of states over thousands of years, even into the vocabulary of modern-day English.