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Journals / Lycus Dergisi / 2026 / Sayı: 13

The Olive in the Ancient Hellenic World: Sacredness, Ritual Practices, and Civic Order

Antik Hellen Dünyasında Zeytin: Kutsallık, Ritüel Pratikler ve Toplumsal Düzen

Nuriye Külahlı(Selçuk Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksek Okulu)0000-0003-2287-8650
Hüseyin Üreten(Aydın Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Fakültesi Tarih Bölümü)0000-0001-5633-7102
Pages
1–10
Publication Date
2026-06-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Accordingly, the study addresses the origins and diffusion of the olive in the Mediterranean, its diverse uses in ancient Greek society, the sacred olive trees (moriai) associated with Athena, the role of olive oil in athletic and religious rituals, and the public and legal regulations governing olive trees and olive oil, drawing on both ancient and modern sources.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:: In ancient societies, certain plants and trees functioned not only as elements of subsistence and production but also as foundational components of sacred beliefs, ritual practices, and public order.
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Key Findings & Data:Within the Mediterranean world, the olive and olive oil represent one of the most prominent examples of this privileged status.
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Conclusion & Impact:Accordingly, the study addresses the origins and diffusion of the olive in the Mediterranean, its diverse uses in ancient Greek society, the sacred olive trees (moriai) associated with Athena, the role of olive oil in athletic and religious rituals, and the public and legal regulations governing olive trees and olive oil, drawing on both ancient and modern sources.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Zeytin/Zeytinyağı · Antik Hellen Dünyası · Kutsallık

Abstract

: In ancient societies, certain plants and trees functioned not only as elements of subsistence and production but also as foundational components of sacred beliefs, ritual practices, and public order. Within the Mediterranean world, the olive and olive oil represent one of the most prominent examples of this privileged status. In the ancient Greek world, the olive was more than an agricultural or economic product; it constituted a multilayered sphere of meaning embedded in mythological narratives, religious rituals, legal regulations, and the polis-based public structure. Departing from existing scholarship that primarily approaches the olive through agricultural, commercial, or descriptive mythological frameworks, this study adopts a holistic perspective that examines the olive and olive oil in relation to sacredness, ritual practice, public order, and legal protection. Accordingly, the study addresses the origins and diffusion of the olive in the Mediterranean, its diverse uses in ancient Greek society, the sacred olive trees (moriai) associated with Athena, the role of olive oil in athletic and religious rituals, and the public and legal regulations governing olive trees and olive oil, drawing on both ancient and modern sources.

Özet

Kadim toplumlarda bazı bitkiler ve ağaçlar, yalnızca beslenme ve üretim süreçlerinin değil, aynı zamanda kutsallık anlayışının, ritüel pratiklerin ve kamusal düzenin kurucu unsurları arasında yer almıştır. Akdeniz dünyasında bu ayrıcalıklı konumun en belirgin örneklerinden biri zeytin ve zeytinyağıdır. Antik Hellen dünyasında zeytin, tarımsal ve ekonomik bir ürün olmanın ötesinde; mitolojik anlatılar, dini ritüeller, hukuki düzenlemeler ve polis temelli kamusal yapı ile iç içe geçmiş çok katmanlı bir anlam alanına sahiptir. Bu çalışma, zeytini yalnızca tarımsal üretim, ticaret ya da mitolojik betimlemeler çerçevesinde ele alan literatürden farklı olarak, zeytin ve zeytinyağını kutsallık, ritüel pratikler, kamusal düzen ve hukuki koruma bağlamında bütüncül bir yaklaşımla incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada, zeytinin kökeni ve Akdeniz dünyasındaki yayılımı, antik Hellen toplumundaki çok yönlü kullanımı, Athena ile ilişkilendirilen kutsal zeytin ağaçları, atletik ve dini ritüellerde zeytinyağının işlevi ile zeytin ve zeytinyağına yönelik kamusal ve hukuki düzenlemeler antik ve modern kaynaklar ışığında değerlendirilmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Külahlı, N., Üreten, H. (2026). The Olive in the Ancient Hellenic World: Sacredness, Ritual Practices, and Civic Order. Lycus Dergisi, Sayı: 13, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.54577/lycus.1862106

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