The sacred flora of Ancient Anatolia: Plant symbolism in the Hellenic and Roman world

This study, titled The Esoteric Flora of Ancient Anatolia: Plant Symbolism in the Greek and Roman World, aims to reveal that plants in Ancient Greek and Roman cultures were not merely elements of nature, but also indispensable symbols within religious, mythological, and ritual practices. The study explores how plants were endowed with sacredness by being associated with deities and how they assumed symbolic roles in mythological narratives, rituals, and social life. Furthermore, it emphasizes that these plants became symbols embedded in the cultural identity of cities, in economic life, and in material cultural elements. In this way, the study seeks to clarify how plants were integrated into belief systems in the Ancient Greek and Roman world and how they acquired a lasting meaning in the collective memory. The research is based not only on literary and mythological texts but also on the analysis of archaeological findings. In this respect, by adopting an interdisciplinary approach, both the symbolic language of ancient sources and the reflections of these narratives on material culture are examined. Thus, the thesis aims to offer an original and in-depth contribution to the phenomenon of symbolism shaped within the nature-culture-belief triangle in the ancient world, particularly in the context of Anatolia. Moreover, it demonstrates that plant symbols are not only a form of traditional knowledge but also serve as important tools for the transmission of collective memory, thereby tracing the continuity of cultural heritage.