The sacred places of the immortal ones - Ancient Greek and Roman sacred groves

Aug 26, 2026

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Study of Greek and Roman sacred groves through ancient Mediterranean beliefs that link divine presence with natural environments, especially trees and vegetation interpreted as god-given life. The chapter surveys major evidence types—textual accounts and inscriptions, pictorial representations, and archaeological findings—then outlines how terms such as alsos functioned and what activities and protections characterized groves ‘of the immortal ones’. It frames sacred groves’ purpose, use, location, and appearance by referencing key literary, epigraphic, and material cases.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Defining a sacred grove: The written sources

[eprints@whiterose.ac.uk](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk)[ ](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk)[https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk](https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk) Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York Deposited via The University of Sheffield. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: [https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/106647/](https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/106647/) [Version: Accepted Version](Version: Accepted Version) Book Section: Carroll, P.M. (2017) ‘The sacred places of the immortal ones’ : ancient Greek and Roman sacred groves. In: Woudstra, J. and Roth, C. , (eds.) A History of Groves. Routledge, London. ISBN: 9781138674806. [https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315561066-2](https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315561066-2) This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in A History of Groves on 17 August 2017, available online: [https://www.routledge.com/A-History-of](https://www.routledge.com/A-History-of)Groves/Woudstra-Roth/p/book/9781138674806 Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [eprints@whiterose.ac.uk](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk) including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. Maureen Carroll, ‘The sacred places of the immortal ones’. Ancient Greek and Roman Sacred Groves, in J. Woudstra and C. Roth (eds.), A History of Groves. London: Routledge, 2017 2 ‘The sacred places of the immortal ones’. Ancient Greek and Roman Sacred Groves Maureen Carroll Introduction Many cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world acknowledged the close relationship between the divine world and the natural environment, with trees and vegetation being interpreted as a sign of god-given life. Accordingly, the temples and sanctuaries of many gods in ancient Assyria, Egypt, and Israel, to name but a few locations, included planted precincts that were considered holy and inviolable.1 The ancient Greeks and Romans, like their neighbours, also maintained and worshipped in sacred groves. An early expression of the belief that ‘the sacred groves of the immortal ones’were the dwelling places of semi-divine beings can be found in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite; in the groves of the Hymn lived the nymphs who were born as trees.2 The Greeks also had notions of paradise in a mythical grove of plenty and immortality.3 The importance of the ancient sacred groves of the heroic past in the literature and thought of Roman Italy in the late first century BC also reflects a cultural and religious reverence for ancient trees and rustic landscapes.4 Although secular groves of trees and orchards also existed in Greco-Roman antiquity, this paper focuses on those connected with cult sites, simply because they are more abundantly attested. The types of evidence available for the study of Greek and Roman sacred groves are varied, as this brief introduction attempts to show. One category of material is the textual evidence in the form of written accounts and inscriptions. Descriptions of venerable sacred groves of olives, pines, cypresses, oaks, laurels, and fruit trees can be found in Pausanias’ guide book of ancient Greece in the later second century AD, and he refers to them as some of ‘the most memorable and interesting things’ for Roman cultural tourists to visit.5 And because of the text of a Roman inscription of c.300 AD, we know that the ancient sacred olive grove associated with the temple of Athena on the acropolis of Lindos on Rhodes was renewed w

FAQs

What relationship between the divine world and nature underpins the study of sacred groves?

Many ancient Mediterranean cultures interpreted trees and vegetation as signs of god-given life, so sanctuaries and temples could include planted, holy precincts.

What kinds of evidence are used to study Greek and Roman sacred groves?

The chapter draws on textual evidence (written accounts and inscriptions), pictorial evidence (artistic depictions), and archaeological evidence (excavated planting pits and associated remains).

Which Greek terms are discussed for referring to sacred groves?

The chapter notes that άλσος (alsos) is normally used for ‘sacred grove’, while Κñπος (kepos) generally refers to a garden, whether sacred or not.

Aug 26, 2026

Upload by Kyle