Olive Tree of Athena

The Olive Tree of Athena

The Olive Tree of Athena was a large olive tree in the Akropolis Sanctuary in Athens, Greece.

Growing west of the Erechtheion, the tree was said to have sprouted as the goddess Athena struck the ground with her spear. In 480 BCE, when the Persians invaded Athens, the historians Herodotos and Pausanias wrote how they burned down the tree, but from the ashes it grew up again. Due to the miraculous nature of the tree, the olive trees of Athens were considered to be the holiest in all of the Greek world.

Trivia

• The Olive Tree of Athena was the primordial example of moriai, religiously significant olive trees that were the property of the state.
• The Olive Tree of Athena was also believed to be the progenitor of all the olive trees in Greece.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey