Wilhelmina Feemster Jashemski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wilhelmina Mary Feemster Jashemski
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| Born | July 10, 1910 |
| Died | December 24, 2007 (aged 97) |
| Occupation | Classical scholar |
| Years active | 1935-2007 |
| Known for | The Gardens of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Villas Destroyed by Vesuvius (1979) |
| Spouse(s) | Stanley A. Jashemski |
Wilhelmina Mary Feemster Jashemski (July 10, 1910 – December 24, 2007) was an American expert who studied the ancient city of Pompeii. She was especially interested in finding and understanding the gardens and plants that grew there long ago. People remember her for helping to create new ways to find and save ancient plant remains. She developed a method called "root casting" to make copies of old roots.
Early Life and Education
Jashemski was born in York, Nebraska. She studied mathematics and Latin at York College. She earned her first degree in 1931. Later, she went to the University of Chicago. In 1942, she earned her advanced degree (doctorate) in ancient history. Her studies focused on old Roman laws.
Discovering Ancient Gardens
Wilhelmina Jashemski started teaching in 1935. She taught at Lindenwood College in Missouri. From 1946 to 1980, she was a professor at the University of Maryland.
Her most famous work began in 1961. She started exploring Pompeii, Villa Boscoreale, and Oplontis. These ancient Roman towns were buried by the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. She continued her work there until 1984.
Jashemski is known as a pioneer in "garden archaeology." This field studies ancient gardens and landscapes. She found evidence of gardens by looking for root holes in the ground. She would pour plaster into these holes to create "root casts." These casts showed the exact shape of the plants that once grew there.
She also worked at the villa of Hadrian in Tivoli. This was a huge country estate of a Roman emperor. Her discoveries helped us understand what ancient Roman gardens looked like.
In 1996, Jashemski received the Gold Medal of the Archaeological Institute of America. This award is for great achievements in archaeology. She received it after publishing the second part of her major work. This book was called The Gardens of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Villas Destroyed by Vesuvius. Her research is now part of an online database. It's called Gardens of the Roman Empire. It shares information about over 100 ancient gardens.
Personal Life
Wilhelmina Jashemski was married to Stanley A. Jashemski. He was a physicist. He often took photos of her archaeological digs for her books and reports.
She was also a member of the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church. She was part of the church for over fifty years.
See also
In Spanish: Wilhelmina Feemster Jashemski para niños
