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The sacred groves of ancient Greece

In ancient Greece, a sacred grove was a grove of trees dedicated to a god or gods, its use, or the use of its trees, being restricted to humans in one way or another. A sacred grove was a space comprised mainly of trees though it may have contained some man-made structures. It is distinguished from a sanctuary, which was a sacred space comprised primarily of buildings though it may have contained some trees. No detailed description of a sacred grove survives from ancient Greek literature. However, a compilation of the many passing and diverse references in the literature, dating from the eighth century BC to the second century AD, may provide us with a composite picture. The compilation of references assembled here is arranged in chronological order to indicate the changing concerns of the writers on sacred groves during this nearly one thousand year period. Not all Greek authors have been consulted but a representative collection is presented. The references available are inevitably limited and are unevenly distributed throughout the period, a preponderance of references occurring in the writings of the second century AD traveller, Pausanias. Consideration is given in the compilation to the differing purposes of the writers. Earlier writers like Homer, Aristophanes or Plato tended to refer to sacred groves in poetical, dramatic or philosophical contexts. They did not refer to actual groves but evoked a generalized view in their poetic evocations, their dramatic presentations or their philosophical treatises. However, later writers such as Strabo or Pausanias referred to actual groves giving relevant detail about their location and their significant features. Literary evidence can be supplemented by the visual representations of groves that occur on some coins and vases, though the representations in these media are often conventional rather than realistic. A city was often represented on its coinage by a conventional representation of its sacred grove. Archaeological evidence is sparse. That which exists tends to refer not to sacred groves but to sites that are related in character such as sanctuaries or the planting around temples or city squares. This article proposes to focus on the physical aspects of sacred groves, their location and size, the different kinds of trees of which they were composed, the architectural and sculptural elements that were installed in them and the adaptation for use of some of the natural features located in them. It will also consider the uses, mainly religious, to which the sacred groves were put but only in so far as they have implications for the groves’ physical aspect. It is not proposed to treat of their purely religious, political or social aspects.