Flowers & History

Evidence of flowers dating back to the prehistoric period have been discovered through Flower Fossils. There are traces of association of flowers with humans during the paleolithic age.
Archaeologists uncovered skeletons of a man, two women and an infant buried together in soil containing pollen of flowers in a cave in Iraq. This association of flowers with the cave dwelling Neanderthals of the Pleistocene epoch is indicative of the role of flowers in burial rituals.
Analysis of the sediment pollen concentrated in batches, implied that possible bunches of flowers had been placed on the grave. Closer examination of the flower pollen enabled scientists to identify many flowers that were present, all of which had some therapeutic properties. The use of flowers also testify abundant floral varieties available at that time.

People have used flowers to express their feelings, enhance their surroundings, and to commemorate important rituals and observances. All forms of art, depict the use of flowers: music, books, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, tapestries, etc. Some of the most opulent examples of source material are the flower pictures, produced by artists during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, which so accurately depict flowers in their incredible beauty.
Scientists assert that there are over 270,000 species of flowers that have been documented and are existing in the 21st Century. The evolutionary history of flowers extends across some 125 years. During this time, an intricate assortment of more than 125,000 flower species has developed.
During the Victorian era, in England the language of flowers was as important to people as being "well dressed." For example, the recognizable scent of a particular flower, plant or perhaps a scented handkerchief sent its own unique message. But scientists have yet to answer basic questions about these marvels of beauty... What led to their amazing diversity? Are there flowers that have not changed much during the evolution of this planet?
Fossils of woody magnolia-like plants dating back 93 million years are the first evidence of plant life. More recently, tiny herb-like flower fossils dating back 120 million years have been uncovered by Paleobotanists have .
Flowering plants, called angiosperms, were believed to be already diverse and found in most locations by the middle of the Cretaceous Period ... 146 million years ago. A myriad of images of preserved flowers and flower parts have been found in fossils from Sweden, Portugal, England, and along the Eastern and Gulf coasts of the United States. Below are a few flowers which have a long history.