Articles
Pomegranate footprints: myth and history of an iconic fruit in the Mediterranean area
Article number
1464_49
Pages
351 – 359
Language
English
Abstract
The pomegranate is a central figure in many of the most important myths and symbols associated with the Mediterranean region.
Throughout antiquity, this fruit has been regarded as a divine gift due to its numerous evocative characteristics: its squat shape, often topped with a pointed or crowned tip, symbolizes power; the bright red color of its juice is renowned for its healing properties; and its countless seeds represent fertility.
The use of the pomegranate in the Mediterranean dates back to ancient cultures, predating both the Greeks and Romans.
In Egypt, the pomegranate appears in various textual and iconographic sources.
The oldest reference to the pomegranate in the Bible is found in the Book of Exodus, where it is mentioned as a decorative motif on ministerial robes.
Additionally, the pomegranate is listed among the fruit-bearing plants of the Promised Land in the Book of Deuteronomy.
It is also hypothesized that the pomegranate could be the “forbidden fruit” of Eden.
In the 2nd millennium BC, the pomegranate was valued as an exotic fruit, traded as a luxury item.
Simultaneously, it held significant symbolic meaning in sacred contexts.
This symbolism was transmitted to Greek culture at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. In the garden of the palace of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians, the pomegranate was one of the continuously bearing fruit trees.
The pomegranate was regarded as a divine fruit of the Underworld in the myth of Demeter and Persephone (Kore). The Phoenicians and Carthaginians contributed to its dissemination, conveying traditional Eastern symbolic meanings and uses to the West.
They also integrated Eastern themes with meanings from the Aegean and Greek worlds.
Consequently, the pomegranate became a symbol of prosperity and power – a significance that remains relevant today.
The pomegranate is also featured in Christian iconography, as evidenced in Botticelli’s painting “Madonna della Melagrana”.
Throughout antiquity, this fruit has been regarded as a divine gift due to its numerous evocative characteristics: its squat shape, often topped with a pointed or crowned tip, symbolizes power; the bright red color of its juice is renowned for its healing properties; and its countless seeds represent fertility.
The use of the pomegranate in the Mediterranean dates back to ancient cultures, predating both the Greeks and Romans.
In Egypt, the pomegranate appears in various textual and iconographic sources.
The oldest reference to the pomegranate in the Bible is found in the Book of Exodus, where it is mentioned as a decorative motif on ministerial robes.
Additionally, the pomegranate is listed among the fruit-bearing plants of the Promised Land in the Book of Deuteronomy.
It is also hypothesized that the pomegranate could be the “forbidden fruit” of Eden.
In the 2nd millennium BC, the pomegranate was valued as an exotic fruit, traded as a luxury item.
Simultaneously, it held significant symbolic meaning in sacred contexts.
This symbolism was transmitted to Greek culture at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. In the garden of the palace of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians, the pomegranate was one of the continuously bearing fruit trees.
The pomegranate was regarded as a divine fruit of the Underworld in the myth of Demeter and Persephone (Kore). The Phoenicians and Carthaginians contributed to its dissemination, conveying traditional Eastern symbolic meanings and uses to the West.
They also integrated Eastern themes with meanings from the Aegean and Greek worlds.
Consequently, the pomegranate became a symbol of prosperity and power – a significance that remains relevant today.
The pomegranate is also featured in Christian iconography, as evidenced in Botticelli’s painting “Madonna della Melagrana”.
Authors
D. Romano, L. Leotta, S. La Malfa
Keywords
Punica granatum L., horticulture history, plant iconography, plant symbolism
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