The apotheosis of the tree or the place of sacred tree and grove in the symbolic landsccape of the pagan sanctuary

Abstract

In attempting to decipher the symbolism in key pagan landscapes of ancient Greece and Rome, one can use both physical and verbal models. The physical models found in the patterns of the calendar and of human stages of life and livelihood provide allegories for divine power, while the verbal models of ancient philosophers establish notions of unity and hierarchies of meaning useful in examining the feature elements in the pagan sanctuary. Two sacred landscape elements, the tree eikon and the grove provide examples for the application of hierarchic verbal methods, as well as relation to calendric and humanneed structures. A site outside the city of Rome provides a case study for the arrangement of these two elements in relation to all other pagan features on the site, as well as to other similar systems in the classical world. The syncresis of these methods allows for deeper understanding of the case site, as well as insight into the character of the man who composed it.